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Jan 1, 1100
Moai on platform (ahu). Rapa Nui (Easter Island). c. 1100-1600 C.E. Volcanic tuff figures on basalt base.
The moai, commonly known as the Easter Island heads, are as iconic as they are large (at 50 feet tall and weighing up to 100 tons). Their bulky figures and fairly planar faces exist to mark burial sites or sacred sites for the purpose of religious ceremonies. Their images, though generic, were believed to represent deceased lineage chiefs, and were possibly used to communicate with spirits or gods.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/the-pacific/a/easter-island-moai -
Period: Jan 1, 1100 to
Pacific Art: Citation Sources
http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/aoa/n/navigation_chart_rebbelib.aspx
http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/311950
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1978.412.1510
https://www.wienand-koeln.de/pdf/978-3-86832-036-7.pdf
Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner's Art Through the Ages: A Global History. 15th ed. Boston: Cengage, 2016. 2017. Web. -
Female deity. Nukuoro, Micronesia. c. 18th to 19th century C.E. Wood.
This is believed to be a dinonga eidu of Kave De Nine Aligi, a goddess who reigned over Nukuoro in the absence of the spirit Iaigausema. Extremely rare objects such as this were kept in cult houses for religious purposes. The very geometric and simplified form of the statue would be decorated for the house inhabitants to gather around and offer fruit as sacrifice.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/the-pacific/a/nukuoro-micronesia -
'Ahu 'ula (feather cape). Hawaiian. Late 18th century C.E. Feathers and fiber
Hawaiian social structure's self-imposed importance led to the prominence of art works emphasizing status, such as this feather cape. This cape would signify men of high rank, with every aspect of the cape's design, from the rare and distinguished feathers used to the divine connotations of the fiber base, indicating the utmost importance of the wearer. The strong cape served a practical proctective purpose as well.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/the-pacific/a/feather-cape -
Navigation chart. Marshall Islands, Micronesia. 19th to early 20th century C.E. Wood and fiber.
The inhabitants of the Marshall Islands gained notoriety for their skills in navigating between islands. This is thanks to handmade navigation charts that aided in the memorization of island locations (represented by cowrie shells) and swell patterns. Charts were individualized and personalized to the point that some were only intelligible to the crastman responsible for its creation.
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/the-pacific/a/navigation-charts -
Buk (mask). Torres Strait. Mid- to late 19th century C.E. Turtle shell, wood, fiber, feathers, and shell
These masks, made primarily of turtle shells, were used in ceremonies for the purpose of good harvests and hunting game turnouts. The masks, worn like helmets, were used to reenact the lives of mythical heroes as part of the aforementioned ceremonies. They often combined human and animal traits, and were also used in male initiation or funerary rites.
https://smarthistory.org/mask-buk-torres-strait-mabuiag-island/
