1. Content Area 9 The Pacific 700-1980 CE
Chapter 33
The arts from this region vary by ecological situations, social structure, colonialism, missionary activity Papuan people traveled by a land bridge that connected Asia and Australia Micro (small) Poly (many) Mela (black) sea is a common theme in the pieces region includes 25,000 islands in the Pacific

3. 213. Nan Madol. Pohnpei, Micronesia. Saudeleur Dynasty. c
213. Nan Madol. Pohnpei, Micronesia. Saudeleur Dynasty. c CE Basalt boulders and prismatic columns. (2 images)
Form
Basalt boulders
Content
Man made stone islands, Megalithic architecture built up over foundations of boulders to form high walled rectangular enclosures
Function
Terms
megalith
Themes
Man made
Land transformation
Context
Probably used by people of high status. Most of the islets served as residential area, however some of them served special purpose, such as food preparation, coconut oil production or canoe construction. Madol Powe, the mortuary sector, contains 58 islets in the northeastern area of Nan Madol. The centerpiece of the whole complex is the royal mortuary at the islet of Nandauwas, with its 7.5m high walls surrounding the central tomb enclosure.

4. 214. Maoi on platform (ahu). Rap Nui (Easter Island). c
214. Maoi on platform (ahu). Rap Nui (Easter Island). c CE Volcanic tuff figures on basalt base.
Form
Content: placed with backs to the sea, facing the island, stern expression, long ears
Function
Carved to commemorate ancestors
Context almost 900 moai were created, head tilted to scan the distance, stern expression, most have been toppled since Christian missionaries arrived in 19th century. Rapa Nui, aka Easter Island
Terms
Moai: human head/face carving
Themes

5. 215. “Ahu ‘ula (feather cape). Hawaiian
215. “Ahu ‘ula (feather cape). Hawaiian. Late 18th century CE Feathers and fiber.
Form
Content
Function
Worn by Hawaiian
nobility
Context given as gifts to Europeans.
Themes
Terms

6. Feather cape British Museum website
From Hawaii, Polynesia Probably before AD 1850
The Hawaiian male nobility wore feather cloaks and capes for ceremonies and battle. They consisted of olona(Touchardia latifolia) fibre netting made in straight rows, with pieces joined and cut to form the desired shape. Tiny bundles of feathers were attached to the netting in overlapping rows starting at the lower edge. The exterior of this example is covered with red feathers from the 'i'iwibird (Vestiaria cocchinea), yellow feathers from the 'o'o(Moho nobilis), and black feathers also from the 'o'o.
This small cape has a shaped neckline which would closely fit the wearer. This style of semi-circular cape is considered a later development from the trapezoidal shape.
Large numbers of feathered cloaks and capes were given as gifts to the sea captains and their crews who were the earliest European visitors to Hawaii. Some of these attractive items would then have passed into the hands of the wealthy patrons who financed their voyages. It is not known who brought this particular cape to England.

7. 216. Staff god. Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Central Polynesia
216. Staff god. Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Central Polynesia. Late 18th to early 19th century. Wood, tapa, fiber, and feathers. (3 images).
Content: has a sexual aspect that embodies both male and female reproductive qualities. Some men, phallus and females during child birth may be referneced.
Form: early 13 feet in length
Function: unsure but possibly represent Tangaroa, the creator god.
Context: rare object, the only staff god that remains. Unsure of function. But shows a standing semihuman figure having claws, a feline face with crossed fangs and a towering pillar like structure. Cook islanders depicted their gods as humans
Themes
Terms
“god stick”
British Museum

8. Curator’s comments. Hooper 2006 The only surviving wrapped example of a large staff god, this impressive image is composed of a central wood shaft wrapped in an enormous roll of decorated barkcloth. The shaft is in the form of an elongated body, with a head and small figures at one end. The other end, composed of small figures and a naturalistic penis, is missing.  This image was among fourteen presented to Reverend John Williams at Rarotonga in May After describing them he noted that 'Near the wood were red feathers, and a string of small pieces of polished pearl shells, which were said to be the manava, or soul of the god' (Williams, J.,1837, 'A narrative of missionary enterprises in the South Sea Islands,' London, J Snow: ); see above, p.64). It was exhibited as a centrepiece in the LMS museum (see above, p.71). 
Little is known of the function or identity of these images. Duff (Duff, R., 1969, (ed), 'No sort of iron: culture of Cook's Polynesians', Christchurch: AGMANZ: 61) speculated that they represent Tangaroa the creator god, but without evidence. What is clear is that in their materials they combine the results of the skilled labour of men and women. They also have an explicit sexual aspect, thus embodying male and female productive and reproductive qualities (Hooper, S.J.P.,1997, 'Robert and Lisa Sainsbury collection', 3 vols. New Haven: Yale University Press and University of East Anglia, Norwich, II: 17).Information from Pacific Art in Detail: This staff god is a potent combination of male and female elements. The wooden core, made by male carvers, has a large head at one end and originally terminated in a phallus. Smaller figures in profite appear to be prominently male. Jean Tekura Mason, curator of the Cook Islands Library and Museum Society suggest that the other figures facing outwards could depict women in childbirth. the barkcloth, made by women, not only protects the ancestral power ('mana) of the deity, but contains it within the different layers. There are no other surviving large staff gods from the Cook Islands that retains their barkcloth wrapping as this one oes. This was probably one of the most sacred of Rarotonga's objects.
(See also Oc1919, ) British Museum website

9. 217. Female Deity. Nukuoro, Micronesia. c.18th to 19th century CE wood
Form
Content stylized female form, ovid head, nose eyes hands feet are discreet. Small in stature
Function: female deity or ruler
Context discovered by missionaries but unsure of the purpose since the area quickly took on Christian practices
Themes
Terms

10. Function costume in funerary ceremony and harvest ceremony
218. Buk (mask) Torres Strait. Mid-to late 19th century CE Turtle Shell, wood, fiber, feathers, and shell.
Form
Intricate masks and figures made from plates of turtle-shell are unique to the peoples of the Torres Strait, which lies between Australia and New Guinea. Turtle-shell effigies were first recorded on the Torres Strait islands by the Spanish explorer Diego de Prado in 1606, a testimony to the antiquity of the tradition. Used primarily during male initiation and at funerary rituals, the masks represent mythical culture heroes and their associated totemic species. Some masks represent human forms, others depict birds, fish, or reptiles, and masks such as this one combine the features of both humans and animals. Met museum label
Function costume in funerary ceremony and harvest ceremony
Themes
supernatural
Content
Context not sure of who it represents, bird or type of totem that connects lineage of family
Terms
Met Museum

11. Polynesian history and culture
Polynesia is one of the three major categories created by Westerners to refer to the islands of the South Pacific.  Polynesia means literally “many islands.” Our knowledge of ancient Polynesian culture derives from ethnographic journals, missionary records, archaeology, linguistics, and oral traditions. Polynesians represent vital art producing cultures in the present day.
Each Polynesian culture is unique, yet the peoples share some common traits. Polynesians share common origins as Austronesian speakers (Austronesian is a family of languages). The first known inhabitants of this region are called the Lapita peoples. Polynesians were distinguished by long-distance navigation skills and two-way voyages on outrigger canoes. Native social structures were typically organized around highly developed aristocracies, and beliefs in primo-geniture (priority of the first-born). At the top of the social structure were divinely sanctioned chiefs, nobility, and priests. Artists were part of a priestly class, followed in rank by warriors and commoners.
Polynesian cultures value genealogical depth, tracing one’s lineage back to the gods. Oral traditions recorded the importance of genealogical distinction, or recollections of the accomplishments of the ancestors. Cultures held firm to the belief in mana, a supernatural power associated with high-rank, divinity, maintenance of social order and social reproduction, as well as an abundance of water and fertility of the land. Mana was held to be so powerful that rules or taboos were necessary to regulate it in ritual and society. For example, an uninitiated person of low rank would never enter in a sacred enclosure without risking death. Mana was believed to be concentrated in certain parts of the body and could accumulate in objects, such as hair, bones, rocks, whale’s teeth, and textiles.
Gender roles in the arts
Gender roles were clearly defined in traditional Polynesian societies. Gender played a major role, dictating women’s access to training, tools, and materials in the arts. For example, men’s arts were often made of hard materials, such as wood, stone, or bone and men's arts were traditionally associated with the sacred realm of rites and ritual.
Women's arts historically utilized soft materials, particularly fibers used to make mats and bark cloth. Women’s arts included ephemeral materials such as flowers and leaves. Cloth made of bark is generically known as tapa across Polynesia, although terminology, decorations, dyes, and designs vary through out the islands.

12. 219. Hiapo (tapa) Niue. C.1850-1900 CE Tapa or bark cloth, freehand painting
Form
Tapa or bark cloth
Content
Geometric patterns and designs/
Function
Bedding, clothing, hanging, and viewed during birthdays and weddings
Context
Used for display, dress or exchange. Also shows wealth of maker (woman)
Themes
Terms
tapa

13. 220. Tamati Waka Nene. Gottfried Lindauer. 1890 CE oil on canvas
Form
Content wearing prestigious dress
Context after death a portrait was displayed to embody the deceased. Lindauer was Czech artist who moved to New Zealand and took commissions of portraits, used photographs to model the subect
Function: record a likeness and bring ancestral presence to the living
Themes
Terms
Maori – indigenous people of New Zealand
Moko – facial tattoo

14. 221. Navigation chart. Marshall Islands, Micronesia
221. Navigation chart. Marshall Islands, Micronesia. 19th to early 20th century CE Wood and fiber
Content horizaontal and vertical wooden sticks
Form
Context Marshall Islands consisted of over a thousand islans, islets and atolls. This was used as a navigation chart for the canoes between the islands and for swell and wave patterns
Function
Themes
Terms
Rebbelib – chart that shows large section

15. From the Marshall Islands, Micronesia Probably 19th century AD
The Marshall Islands in eastern Micronesia consist of thirty-four coral atolls spread out across an area of several hundred miles. In order to maintain links between the islands, the Marshall Islanders built seafaring canoes. These vessels were both quick and manoeuvrable. The islanders developed a reputation for navigation between the islands - not a simple matter, since they are all so low that none can be seen from more than a few miles away.
In order to determine a system of piloting and navigation the islanders devised charts that marked not only the locations of the islands, but their knowledge of the swell and wave patterns as well. The charts were composed of wooden sticks; the horizontal and vertical sticks act as supports, while diagonal and curved ones represent wave swells. Cowrie or other small shells represent the position of the islands. Generally the charts were used as an aide-memoire for an experienced navigator, and were not constructed to scale.
This chart is of a type known as a rebbelib, which cover either a large section or all of the Marshall Islands. Other types of chart more commonly show a smaller area. This example represents the two chains of islands which form the Marshall Islands. It was collected by Admiral E.H.M. Davis during the cruise of HMS Royalist from 1890 to Navigation charts continue to be made, often simpler in form, to be sold as souvenirs. British Museum Website

16. Function used at funeral rites
222. Malagan display and mask. New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea. c.20th century CE Wood, pigment, fiber, and shell.
Content
Form
Context They are principally concerned with honoring and dismissing the dead, but they also act as affirmation of the identity of clan groups, and negotiate the transmission of rights to land. ​Malangan sculptures were made to be used on a single occasion and then destroyed.
Function used at funeral rites
Themes
Identity, kingship, gender, death, spirituality
Terms
Malangan: a ritual of the people near Papa New Guinea

17. 223. Presentation of Fijian mats and tapa cloths to Queen Elizabeth II
223. Presentation of Fijian mats and tapa cloths to Queen Elizabeth II. Fiji. Polynesia, Multimedia performance (costume, cosmetics, including scent; chant, movement, and pandanus fiber/hibiscus fiber mats), photographic documentation.
Content
Carried by women as men sit. Tapa was constructed by women
Form
Context show gratitude and respect towards queen for visiting Tonga and commemorating war memorial. Also signals England and Fiji alliance
Function
Tapa was made to commemorate events
Themes
Terms