The Pacific 9.1

The Pacific

700–1980 CE

TOPIC 9.1 Materials, Processes, and Techniques in Pacific Art

Understanding the intended purpose and audience of the arts of the Pacific is an important focus of study in this unit. Works of art from this region are often performed, and the experience is central to the creation of and participation in them.

Social Life and Culture

The arts of the Pacific are expressions of beliefs and social structure, which are strong forces in the social and cultural life of this region. Art and art making in this region is influenced by many things, and physical setting and available materials can be important considerations that affect artistic decisions and creations. Pacific arts are often distinguished by materials including sea ivory, seashell, tortoise shell, wood, coral, stone, fiber, pigment, and bone.

These objects are carried, exchanged, and used by peoples of the region.

Creating a Response

Objects and behaviors in the cultures of the Pacific are often designed and presented to stimulate a particular response. Rare and precious materials are used to demonstrate wealth, status, and particular circumstance. Ritual settings are structured to address all the senses. Physical combat and warfare are announced and preceded by displays of ferocity in dress, dance, verbal aggression, and gestural threats.

(9) 215. ‘Ahu ‘ula (feather cape).

Oceanic (Hawaiian). Late 18^th century.

‘Ahu ‘ula (feather cape) is constructed with feathers and fiber and measures  26 by 17 inches. The capes were made by men and was  considered a sacred activity.

It consisted of olona fiber netting made in straight rows, with pieces joined and cut to make the desired shape. Tiny bundles of feathers were attached to the netting in overlapping rows starting at the bottom edge. The fiber base to which the feathers are attached was considered sacred. The knotted cords were associated with the wearer’s lineage which could be traced back to the gods.

These capes often have 500,000 feathers. Some of the feathers used came from birds that only had seven usable feathers on their bodies.

Other groups in Oceania make feather capes but the Hawaiian ‘Ahu ‘ula is unique in its crescent shape and arced feather designs.

Function

The Hawaiian male nobility (ali’i) or Hawaii’s ruling elite, wore feather cloaks and capes for ceremonies and battles. This was a sign of status, gender, bravery, and honor. Cloaks were used for physical and spiritual protection (mana) in battles. Mana is a supernatural power associated with people of high rank. By appearing in the guise of gods, Hawaiian chiefs would have sought to intimidate their enemies.

As feathers needed to make the capes became scarce, and members of the ali’i began requiring feathers as tribute. The length and complexity of the capes conveyed not only the mana of the wearer, but also a sense of how many people and territories the wearer controlled.

These capes showed a clear visual relationship between themselves and the gods. Red was a divine color.  The bodies of Hawaiian gods were thought to be covered with bird feathers, so when an ali’i wore a feather cloak, his body was enveloped in feathers just like the body of a god.

This reflects the lineage of the wearer since they were made for individuals. Patterns includes symbols relating to a clan and have been described as heraldic. When capes were being produced, artists recited the  genealogy of the wearer during the construction of the cape. Weaving the story of the family and the individual into the garment increased the mana in the cape.

The Meaning

 ‘Ahu ‘ula  means red garment and is used to refer to feather capes. The length of the cape reflected the status of owner. A person of a lower status owned this one. This is a small cape and would wear more like jacket length.

Color

Red was associated with both gods and chiefs. It was the color of divinity and only worn by royalty. Yellow was the sign of wealth because yellow feathers were rare, due to their scarcity.

About the Birds

The red feathers came from the ‘i’iwi bird and the apapane bird. Yellow feathers came from the ‘o’o bird.

Most birds naturally lose and replace their feathers regularly throughout their lives. Since feathers are naturally recurring, like human hair, they usually grow back after being pulled out.

It was believed that when in flight, the proximity of birds to the sky meant they could fly between this world and the spirit world, where gods and ancestors reside.

More About the Capes

These capes were worn by men and made for specific individuals. They were not passed down through a line of succession. The wearer did not select or commission the pattern.

Chiefs would appear in feather capes and similarly feathered helmets at ceremonies and battle. Every time the feather cape was worn, it acquired more mana. If a chief conquered another chief, the victor could incorporate the design of the fallen chief’s feather cape into his own, thereby appropriating the fallen chief’s mana. Additionally, it was considered a commemoration to use previous ruler’s feathers.

Large numbers of feather cloaks and capes were given as gifts to European sea captains and their crews– who were the earliest visitors to Hawaii—but they were not created for the purpose of gift giving. Often, these were then regifted from sailors to the patrons, who financed their voyages.

It is unknown who brought this particular cape to England.

(9) 217. Female deity.

Oceanic (Nukuoro). 18^th-19^th Century. Oceanic.

Learning Objective: Oceanic female fertility sculpture

Themes:

Deity
Religion
Ceremony
Sexuality

Museum: Barbier-Muller Museum, Geneva, Switzerland

Female deity is a 16-inch wood object found in Nukuoro, Micronesia. The surfaces were smoothed with pumice, a light and porous volcanic rock, which was readily available on the beach.

All figurines have similar proportions/characteristics:

• Ovoid head tapering at the chin
• Columnar neck
• Eyes/nose discreet or not shown at all
• Shoulders slope downward
• Breasts indicated by simple line
• Buttocks are always flattened and set on legs
• Emphasis on pelvic area

Function

This was a fertility figurine placed in temples. These figures were often highly decorated with feathers, paint, and headdress.

Fertility figures occupied an important place in fertility ceremonies.

• Marked beginning of the harvest (banana, sugar cane, coconut)
• During the festival, harvested foods were brought to the wooden figurines as offerings
• Dances were performed
• Women were tattooed

During these rituals, the figurines were considered to house the gods or ancestral spirits.

 Content

• Fertility figurine à explains the emphasis on the body parts
• Each figurine would have represented a specific deity which was then associated with a particular temple, priest, or family group.

Context

• Nukuoro is a small, isolated atoll in the archipelago of the Caroline Islands inhabited since the 8^th century
• 1806: Spanish navigator Monteverde was first European to site the island
• 1830s: 400 inhabitants traded with Europeans (we know this from presence of metal tools)
• 1850s: American missionaries arrived
• By 1913, many pre-Christian traditions (dance, songs, artwork, stories) were lost not even 100 years since missionaries arrived

(9) 219. Hiapo (tapa cloth).

Oceanic (Niue). 1850-1900 CE. Niue. Oceanic.

Learning Objective: Oceanic tapa cloth

Themes:

Offering
Utilitarian
Status
Textile
Decorative arts

Museum: Auckland War Memorial Museum

Hiapo (tapa cloth) is a tapa/bark cloth decorated with freehand painting.  

How bark cloth was made:

1. Women would harvest the inner bark of a paper mulberry tree.
2. The inner bark was pounded flat with a wooden beater, until damp and pulpy.
3. After hammering it into a thin layer, it was set out flat.
4. Then it was coated with the paste of the arrowroot and let it dry.

Art and Gender Roles in Traditional Polynesian Societies

Gender roles were clearly defined in traditional Polynesian societies. The art men made had a masculine quality. It was made with hard material such as wood, stone, and bone. The art produced by women were often made of soft materials especially fibers.

Tapa cloth is often geometric. It has some components that are abstract and some that are representational.

Function

• Utilitarian: Used for clothing, bedding and wall hangings
• Sign of status: often specially prepared for people of rank
• Ceremonially displayed on special occasions
• Used to wrap images of deities

Content

• Hiapo (native name in Niue for tapa cloth)
• Design illustrations include geometric motifs in an overall pattern: spirals, circles, squares, triangles as well as plants and leaves

Context

• 1774: Captain James Cook reached the island
• 1830: London Missionary Society arrived to convert natives
• Late 1800s: Niuan hiapo stopped being produced as Christianization caused the abandonment of traditional practices.

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The Pacific

700–1980 CE

TOPIC 9.2 Interactions Within and Across Cultures in Pacific Art