tour 2 of 26
Power and Taboo: sacred objects from the Pacific
Living in the eastern Pacific
Oh Lono shake out a
net-full of food,
A net-full of
rain.
Gather them together for
us.
Accumulate food, Oh
Lono!
Collect fish, Oh
Lono!
(Hawaiian prayer
to the God Lono)
Set within
a triangle formed by Aotearoa (New Zealand) in the south, Hawaii to
the north and Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in the east, the Polynesian
islands are dotted across the vast eastern Pacific Ocean. Though
small and separated by thousands of miles, they share similar
environments and were settled around 1,500 years ago by people with
a common cultural
heritage.
These people were
exceptional boat builders and sailed across the Pacific navigating
by currents, stars and cloud formations. They were skilled
fisherman and farmers, growing fruit trees and vegetables and
raising pigs, chickens and dogs. Islanders were also accomplished
craftspeople and worked in wood, fibre and feathers to create
objects of power and
beauty.
They were poets,
musicians, dancers and orators. Eleven closely-linked languages
were spoken across the region. They were so similar that Tupaia, a
Tahitian who joined Captain Cook on his first voyage, was able to
converse with islanders more than two thousand miles away in New
Zealand.
Every aspect of
life was directly influenced and inspired by the gods, including
the hierarchical structure of Polynesian societies. Chiefs,
warriors and priests inherited their power from the gods. Their
role and status was often identifiable through dress, ornaments or
tattoos.
Illustration:
On 18 August 1773, Captain Cook anchored his two ships, the
Resolution and Adventure, in Vaitepiha Bay, Tahiti. William
Hodges' (1744-97) drawing in grey wash and watercolour over
pencil shows his impression of this landscape, which was new to him
and his fellow voyagers.