Producer unknown to us
Decorative feather sticks
Americas, Ecuador
1950–1977
Feathers, wood, glued with wax/resin
From the 1950s to the 1970s, Erich Wustmann (ethnologist, author) undertook numerous expeditions and journeys to collect items for museums. He sold the acquired objects to the museums in Leipzig and Dresden.
Purchased by Museum für Völkerkunde Dresden from Wustmann on 7 January, 1978
61830 a-e
Wao men wore these feather sticks in woven cotton bands on their upper arms. In order to make these feather sticks, multicolored feathers were glued to small wooden sticks using a mass made from wax or tree resin.
The Wao (imposed name: Waorani) are a linguistically isolated community in eastern Ecuador. Their first regular contact with Ecuadorians began in the 1950s. Unlike many Amazonian communities, they have long lived primarily on hillsides away from the rivers, practicing horticulture of cassava and plantains. Since the late 20th century, some have settled in permanent villages. There are still communities that continue to reject contact with the outside world. Estimates in 2000 put their number at around 2,500 people.
From the 1950s to the 1970s, the ethnologist and author Erich Wustmann (1907–1994) traveled to numerous South American countries, such as Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador.
Frank Usbeck