Pre-Columbian Art Tairona Tumbaga Gold Shaman Ca. 800-1400 A.D Rolled Gold 13.3g

You are looking at an intricately cast Tairona Tumbaga (rolled gold) marked " rc" Shaman Pendant Ca A.D. The pendant depicts a shaman with a large head ornament, and two pending discs. Two tiny suspension loops on the back of his head. An additional loop was added at a later point in time for easier wearing.Height 1-3/4” or 4 cm Fine pre-columbian item from The Tairona, who lived in present day Colombia Provenance: More about the Tairona: The north western part of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta was inhabited by groups of goldsmiths, artisans and builders during the Nahuange and Tairona periods. Nahuange goldwork was named after the bay of the same name, where a tomb was excavated in 1922. Typically it features hammered nose rings and breastplates in copper and gold alloys. People in the Nahuange period lived from fishing and agriculture in villages near the sea, from 200 A.D. onwards. In the Tairona period, between 900 A.D. and 1600 A.D., the mountains were also settled and cities linked together by paths were built on stone foundations. The chronicler Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo wrote in 1514 that the Indians of Santa Marta "had gold jewelry, feathered crests and blankets with many pictures, and on these many cornelian stones, emeralds, jaspers and others". In addition to serving as ornaments, masks were used to transform people into bat-men, the most emblematic motif of the Tairona period. A bird in flight was a symbol of power that was shared with other Chibcha-spe