PALACE TOWER ENTRANCE · DEMONSTRATION PLACARD OBJECT
Origin
Date/
Period
Materials
Meaning
Thailand and Burma/Myanmar
Mid-20th Century
Bronze, wood, leather
Practical, tracking, spiritual
THIS OBJECT APPEARS IN THESE PROGRAMS
- Walkway Highlights Tour (Stop 2)
- Belu's Guardian Challenge (Keiki Stop 8)
- Night at the Museum Walkway (Keiki and Family Stop 15)
Read the full story below
when elephants wore bells
Working Animals, ceremonial splendor, and a carefully paired display
These bronze objects are not temple bells. Their curved wooden yokes identify them as elephant bells, once carried by working or ceremonial elephants in mainland Southeast Asia.
ELEPHANT BELL and ELEPHANT STATUETTE
Tap or click on an image for more information
THE STORY
We've selected some of the most distinctive, asked-about, or culturally significant pieces from the collection to highlight on a walk of discovery. The stories of these objects are told in layers. You can skim the surface or go as far as your interest takes you. Included on the route which takes you the length of the Museum Walkway, are 2,000 year old sculptures from tombs in China, sacred artifacts from Polynesia, and a painting by an artist connected to the death of explorer Captain James Cook, here on Hawaii's Kona Coast. Each object also connects to another experience or activity on the Walkway, giving you a chance to learn and discover even more about the items that stir your curiousity.artifactsartifactslkway, are 2,000 year old sculptures from tombs in China, sacred artifacts from Polynesia, and a painting by an artist connected to the death of explorer Captain James Cook, here on Hawaii's Kona Coast. Each object also connects to another experience or activity on the Walkway, giving you a chance to learn
Details about the Museum Walkway's Waka Huia Treasure Box
The Huia Bird and its extinction
Huia feathers, jade Pounamu and other Māori taonga (treasure)
LOOK CLOSER
Look at the wear markings on the face of the bell. These are not, as you might suspect, from being struck with a hammer. Instead, they were formed by years of wear, rubbing against the elephant's side or chest.
KEIKI CONNECTION
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Going Deeper?
There are three layers with more information about this object below this one.
ON YOUR MAP
This is stop 2 on your Walkway Highlights Tour
Next Stop: Han Dynasty Funerary Objects
Just a short walk ahead in the Main Lobby