Pacific (700-1953 CE) Flashcards
Nan Madol IDs
Micronesia
700-1600 CE
Basalt boulders and prismatic columns
Nan Madol
Use of stacking
Great lost city
Ceremonial complex
Political center
Tombs, dwellings, administrative centers
Man-made structures
Canals running through
Near a lagoon
Giant birds moved the materials into place (or the twin sorcerers, Oloshopa and Oloshipa)
Moai
Emphasis on head and ears
Increased in size over time
Platformed
Commissioned by wealthy people
Watch over the island
Knocked over by the British
Rocks were from a quarry 11 miles away (how did they transport them? aliens?)
Problems (overpopulation, deforestation, and rats) caused by missionaries led to a loss in faith of their gods (so they turned their attention from their ancestral gods a little bird-man god)
Population dwindles as Peruvians take people as slaves and introduce smallpox
Moai IDs
Rapa Nui
1100-1600 CE
Volcanic tuff and basalt
Ahu’ula
Geometric motifs
Trapezoidal
For ceremonies and battles
Gives sacred protection to the wearer
Shows wealth
Restricted to men of high status
Passed through generations
Yellow feathers (valuable)
Red feathers (associated with gods and chiefs)
Ahu’ula IDs
Hawaiian
Late 18th century CE
Feathers and fiber
Staff god
Male genitals on one side, head on the other side
Abstract
Protects ancestral power (mana) of deity
Contains mana in the wrapping of the tapa
Represents Tangaroa (creator god)
Staff god IDs
Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Late 18th to early 19th century CE
Wood, tapa, ber, and feathers
Female deity
Stylized
Geometric
Balanced
Symmetrical (in a weird way)
Would’ve been clothed (dressing is part of the ritual)
Unknown content (mythical creature/ancestor, primary goddess Kawe, protective goddes Ko Kawe, etc.)
No iconography
Triangle (connects to tattoos in the Nukuoro culture)
Kept in a community temple
Offerings were given to gain favor and blessings
Destroyed for being idols
Female deity IDs
Nukuoro, Micronesia
18th to 19th century CE
Wood
Frigate bird buk
Incised facial designs
Inlaid seashell eyes
Raffia hair
Discs on wings (amplify sense of bird in flight)
Lattice work around face
Memory and mask remain, but the moment when the mask is worn will not (flexible, cements the community)
Worn for male initiation ceremonies, funerals, and “increase rights” (increase the fertility of the crops)
Part of a costume
Used in reenactments of cultural heroes/ancestors
Highly emotional
Bird looks like it’s flying
Frigate bird (represents connection between the human world and the ancesteral world/heaven)
Materials were from other islands (trade/interaction)
Burned by missionaries
Frigate bird buk IDs
Torres Strait
Mid to late 19th century CE
Turtle shell, wood, ber, feathers, and shell
Hiapo
Soft materials (because made by women)
Different depending on the island
Clothing, bedding, and wall hangings
Specially prepared and decorated for people of high status
Displayed during special occasions (weddings, birthdays, etc.)
Wraps images of deities
Used for funeral/burial rites as well
Fine lines and geometric motifs (influenced by Samoan missionaries)
Stopped production, but now inspires contemporary artists
Still used in celebrations as historical artifacts
Hiapo IDs
Niue
1850-1900 CE
Tapa
Tamati Waka Nene
Records likeness
Brings ancestral presence into the world of the living
Hung in family home and wharenui (central building of community center) to be spoken to, wept over, and cherished
Subject (important war leader)
Kahu kiwi (fine cloak with kiwi feathers)
Earring (greenstone or pounamu)
Tewhatewha (weapon with feathers with an abalone hand grip)
Accessories mark him as man of mana
Moko (face tattoo)
Based on a photograph (commissioned by London) because photographs were easier and cheaper
