Splendid & Rare Silver & Cowrie Shell Toda Buffalo Necklace

This large, elaborate necklace was made for the Toda people of Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiri Hills, and was intended to adorn a semi-domesticated water buffalo for ritual occasions, including sacrifices at funerals. Borel (1994, p. 146) says that the rituals are ‘so secret that they have yet to be photographed or described.’

This example is unusually complex and has more dangling chains and seven large beads, all in silver. The beads are inspired by the shape of the local starfruit or carambola fruit.

The necklace includes two large rosettes of cowrie shells sewn in concentric circles and backed with stiff cotton fabric.

The necklace was hung between the forelegs of the buffalo and the cowrie-shell rosettes were attached to the horns.

According to Bala Krishnan (2005, p. 156) the necklace represents the mother goddess worshipped by the Todas.

The Toda people are a simple, pastoral community. They are not wealthy, and traditionally, water buffalo necklaces such as this example are the most important jewels that the community possessed.

It is believed that the Todas commissioned such necklaces from the neighbouring Kota people who were more adept at silversmithing, and perhaps the Asaris, originally from Malabar.

The Todas live a long way from the sea, and so the cowrie shells are something of an prestige item imported to their region as an expensive trade good.

The Todas would reserve their best jewellery for their water buffalos rather than for themselves, suggesting the central economic importance of their buffalos.

Less elaborate versions are illustrated in Bala Krishnan (2005, p. 157) and Untracht (1997, p. 227).

The example here is in excellent condition. Such necklaces are rare – only several have been published and the same few tend to be published over and over.