Cross Currents

2 July - 7 August 2005

Lola GREENO

Tasmanian Aboriginal shell necklace makers closely study weather conditions well in advance of collecting shells. The senior makers today acquire tide levels information from a tide book produced by the Marine Board.

The maireener shells grow within a twelve month life cycle. There may be two suitable tides in a year that go out far enough from the shore for the women to gather shells, which must be done within a three hour time span. The shells are gathered from the sea grass one at a time with the women bending down in knee high sea water.

The areas where maireener shells are collected are diminishing for a number of reasons including pollution from local land run offs, tourist activities, fish farming and over collecting by the increased number of shell necklace makers increased in recent years.

The maireener shells need to be collected live from the sea to retain the shell strength and lustre. Once the maireener shells are collected they are exposed to outside conditions for two to three months until the sea snails have disappeared from the shells. The shells are then washed several times, dried, pierced and sorted by size and stored till there is enough for a long necklace, which takes more than one collecting day.

My collection is a reference to all the elder women who made shell necklaces in Tasmania following through my mother's family heritage.

 

 

 

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image: Lola Greeno