Tupu Physical Object

Accession Number
1986.008.0058
Category
Alternate object names
Cloak Pin;Pin
Creation Date
circa 1600
Materials
Description
Decorated and with a drilled hole. Missing small section of tip and flat section. 
Dimensions

5.2 x 1.9 x 0.1 cm. 2.29 grams.

Exhibition Label
Case Caption (2023): N/A
Object Caption (2023):

Tupus (Shawl Pins)
Silver (c.1610)
Gifts of Jamestown Inc., Joseph Hoffman, Rodman Sutton
1986.008.0054-0056, 1986.008.0058, 1999.001.0004

Tupu were exclusively worn by noble women, to hold their shawls in place. After the Spanish conquest, silver tupu, such as these, identified Indigenous aristocracy who were recognized by the colonial administration. Traditional long before the Inca, they are still worn today.