APAH: Art of the Pacific (Oceania)

Little knowledge of historic Pacific cultures Origins 40,000 – 75,000 years ago Second wave migration ~3,000 BC Contact with European explorers mostly in 19th century Impact of new tools, diseases, rats, religion Effects of imperialism Polynesia, , Melanesia Distinct cultures with common roots Oral traditions Traditional hierarchies Clearly defined gender roles Men worked hard material Women worked soft material Water based culture – canoes Works not aesthetic or for public display Functional purpose for religion or communal life – often performance based Displayed in communal meeting houses

Ambum Stone. (Ambum Valley, Enga Province, . c. 1500 B.C.E. Greywacke) Stone pestle handled Carved with stone tools Anteater ∴ Sacred object to recent cultures Connection to ancestors Buried on ancestral land Guardian and fertility Questions of ownership and appropriation

Nan Madol. (Pohnpei, Micronesia. Saudeleur Dynasty. c. 700–1600 C.E. Basalt boulders and prismatic columns) Man-made stone islands (megalithic) 92 islands – each for specific activity No knowledge of construction techniques / Small population Burial sites Known through oral history and myth Housed ruling elites No access to fresh water or crops About the time of Chartres Similar to other megalithic structures: Stonehenge / of Rapa Nui () Connect to Tenochtitlan (island / waterways) Moai on platform (ahu). (Rapa Nui (Easter Island). c. 1100–1600 C.E. Volcanic tuff figures on basalt base) 887 megalithic figures 14 in basalt - Others in tuff Average 13’ high / 14 tons Transported to ceremonial site (most did not complete the journey) Platform (Ahu) Inlaid with coral and rock No determinative record of purpose Created to honor ancestors or chiefs Guardian imagery, fertility (phallic), housing for spirits Faced inward NOT out toward ocean Watchful

‘Ahu ‘ula (feather cape). (Hawaiian. Late 18th century C.E. Feathers and fiber) Worn by nobility Reinforced social hierarchy Ceremonial Battle – Spiritual protection Feathers of Mamo birds (now extinct) Red = gods and chiefs Yellow = wealth Sewn together with chanting

Staff god. (Rarotonga, , central Polynesia. Late 18th to early 19th century C.E. Wood, tapa, fiber, and feathers) God sticks – personification of Rarotonga gods Ironwood wrapped in barkcloth Carved head / figures (top) Phallus (bottom) Many destroyed by missionaries Sexual implications – no clear explanation Carried, processed around Carved by men / barkcloth made by women

Female deity. (Nukuoro, Micronesia. c. 18th to 19th century C.E. wood) Stylized (schematized) figures Carved and smoothed with pumice Deities associated with particular families Placed in temples Rituals of the harvest

Buk (mask). (Torres Strait. Mid- to late 19th century C.E. Turtle shell, wood, fiber, feathers, and shell) Human face, bird, feathers Raffia – used as human hair Turtle shell adds beauty For performance of dance Ancestor Bird as totem Masks destroyed by Christian missionaries

Hiapo (tapa). (. c. 1850–1900 C.E. Tapa or bark cloth, freehand painting) Women’s art Mulberry bark pounded to paper thinness Stained or stamped Used as clothing, bedding or for decoration Displayed at weddings

Tamati Nene. (Gottfried Lindauer. 1890 C.E. Oil on canvas) Maori of New Zealand First contact with Christian missionaries Convert to Christianity – Changed name to honor Thomas Walker (missionary) Cloak of Kiwi feathers & Greenstone earring – prestige and status Traditional weapon & Facial (moko) Painted from photograph European artist and European form

Navigation chart. (Marshall Islands, Micronesia. 19th to early 20th century C.E. Wood and fiber) Incorporated location and water waves and currents Shells as islands Memorized maps

Malagan display and mask. (New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea. c. 20th century C.E. Wood, pigment, fiber, and shell) Used symbolically for social family ID Honor deceased – transition to afterlife Ritual, dance Incorporated images of animals – reference to characteristics Originally displayed in canoe Destroyed after use Expensive ceremonies

Presentation of Fijian mats and tapa cloths to Queen Elizabeth II. Fiji, (Polynesia. 1953 C.E. Multimedia performance (costume; cosmetics, including scent; chant; movement; and pandanus fiber/hibiscus fiber mats), photographic documentation) Wearing barkcloth Presentation of barkcloth is important in ceremonies Hard work for women Queen’s presence as imperialism Drinking