With their elegant shape, pectorals from western Sumba, called marangga, are among the most iconic works from Indonesia. Originally created from precious metal such as gold or silver, artists have more recently fashioned them from alloys of other metals. Marangga were among the heirlooms clans accumulated over time and displayed during feasts. These objects represented the wealth of their owners, embodied histories, and alluded to ritualized exchanges of valuables between families that helped reenact and confirm alliances, such as marriages.

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