Ancient Aboriginal and Polynesian Arts Art of the Pacific Island

Objectives Arts of the Pacific Islands refers to objects from a geographic area covering several million square miles of ocean from Australia west to French Polynesia, and from New Zealand north to the Hawaiian Islands. Understand the importance of oral tradition ancient Aboriginal & Polynesian societies. Recognize the stylistic traits of art of the Pacific Islands Examine the architectural elements of Polynesian societies

Region and History The first half of the century also sees a marked increase in missionary activity across the region, as the first missionaries arrive in New Zealand, Tonga, Hawaii, Samoa, and Fiji. In addition to the growing cultural changes brought about directly by European and American sailors, missionaries, and traders, many Polynesian peoples in the 19th century are devastated by epidemics of introduced diseases, which kill as much as 90 percent of the population. This drastic depopulation severely disrupts many Polynesian societies. Since knowledge among Polynesian peoples is transmitted orally, depopulation also threatens the region's cultural and artistic traditions. Australian Indigenous art is the oldest ongoing tradition of art in the world. Initial forms of artistic Aboriginal expression were rock carvings, body painting and ground designs, which date back more than 30,000 years.

Aboriginal Cave Painting There are three broad styles of rock art which reflect the regional styles. The first is engraved geometric figures such as circles, concentric circles, arcs, animal tracks and dots. These can be found in Central Australia as well as Tasmania.

The second is the simple figurative style of painted or engraved silhouettes of human and animal forms, which are found in Queensland.

The third is complex figurative paintings depict detailed figures, such as x-ray art that shows internal organs of humans and animals, which are especially common to Arnhem Land and surrounding areas.

Dreamtime The Dreaming has different meanings for different Aboriginal people. It is a complex network of knowledge, faith and practices that tell of the stories of creation, and is in all spiritual and physical aspects of Aboriginal life. The Dreaming or Dreamtime is often used to describe the time when the earth and humans and animals were created. Aboriginal art contains a series of iconograms with specific meaning. These symbols are included into paintings which describe events or stories from the dreamtime, and can be seen as a basic form of language to those who understand their meaning.

Rainbow Serpent The Rainbow Serpent is represented as a large, snake-like creature, whose Dreaming is always connected with watercourses, such as billabongs, rivers, creeks and lagoons. The Rainbow Serpent is a consistent theme in Aboriginal painting and has been found in rock art up to 6,000 years old. The Rainbow Serpent is a powerful symbol of the creative and destructive power of nature.The Rainbow Serpent

Ancient Oceanic The ivory figures probably represent female deities or prominent ancestors, for whom the figures served as vessels (vaka) in which the power of the divinity resided. Nomally kept in shrines, many figures also have a hole in the back of the head or neck and were worn by high-ranking female chiefs as ornaments on important occasions. Artists created the rich patina of the figures by anointing them with coconut oil and smoking them over a fire fed with sugar cane giving a golden hue to the surface that accentuates the natural grain of the ivory. Female Figure, early 19th century Ha'apai Archipelago, Tonga Whale ivory; H. 5 1/4 in.

The architecture and design elements of a meeting house are filled with symbolism: The house itself represents the body of a man, his head directly underneath the tekoteko. The first rafter represents his extended arms with his fingers spread out at the ends. The rafters inside the building are his rib cage. Thus, the very common Maori custom of speaking to a building as a person and giving it a personal name makes sense. Maori meeting houses is the focal point of all Maori cultural and activities. It is the place where the community meets to observe traditional ceremonies. All Maori whare runanga are considered sacred. People traditionally remove their shoes before entering. Architecture

Depicting a prominent tupuna, this panel once adorned a Maori meeting house and may portray an ancient warrior. The sense of aggressive movement conveyed in the stylized depiction of the arms suggests the panel portrays the ancestor engaged in a war dance, his tongue thrust out in defiance of his people's enemies. House Post Figure (Amo), ca Maori people, Te Arawa region, Aotearoa (New Zealand) Wood; H. 43 in.

Artists in the Austral Islands created delicate fly whisks with handles adorned with stylized human figures, which likely portray deities, ancestors. This work portrays two highly stylized male figures who share a single teardrop-shaped body. The peg-like projections on the foreheads probably represent the topknots of hair formerly worn by Austral Island men. Though functional they also served as symbols of status. Tipped with brush- like bundles of fiber, they may have been used, like ordinary fly whisks. However, the brush in some examples includes pieces of shell, which rattle, so it is possible these objects served as ceremonial rattles, used to clear bad spirits from sacred people, objects, or places. Fly Whisk (Tahiri [?]), early to mid–19th century Probably Rurutu or Tupua'i, Austral Islands, French Polynesia Wood, fiber, human hair; H. 32 in.

Easter Islands Moai The monolithic stone blocks, carved into head- and-torso figures, average 13 ft. tall and weigh 14 tons. Over 800 statues across the island.

The moai and ceremonial sites are along the coast, with a concentration on Easter Island's southeast coast. Here, the moai are more stylized in design, and are believed to have been carved, transported, and erected between 1100 and 1600 CE. They stand with their backs to the sea and are believed by most archaeologists to represent the spirits of ancestors, chiefs, or other high-ranking males who held important positions in the history of Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, the name given by the indigenous people to their island.

Polynesian Societies For centuries, various arts of tattooing have graced the bodies of the aboriginal peoples of Oceania. The vast majority of what we know today about these ancient arts has been passed down through legends, songs, and ritual ceremonies. The roles, techniques and motifs of the arts of tatau, moko, and uhi have continued to exist for over 2,000 years. Once widespread in Polynesian societies across the Pacific Ocean, the arrival of western missionaries in the 19th century forced this unique art form into decline. The encroachment of Christian religious beliefs vilified tattooing as unholy, many Polynesian tattoo artists maintained their vital link to their culture's history by preserving their unique craft for generations.