Cloth: elm-bark fiber, cotton; braiding, twiningexpand_more
The John R. Van Derlip Fund and the Mary Griggs Burke Endowment Fund established by the Mary Livingston Griggs and Mary Griggs Burke Foundation; purchase from the Thomas Murray Collectionexpand_more 2019.20.12
This head strap, or tara, was used by a woman to carry heavy items, such as a small child or a bundle of firewood, on her back. The ends were tied around the item, which was then lifted and suspended by the woven band placed on her forehead.
As Ainu society changed during the Meiji era (1868–1912), this type of strap lost its function in daily life; it was repurposed as a burial accessory.
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