Sunday vibes
item that has put off many viewers over the years. The head of a deity (akua hulu manu) from late 18th century Hawaii has everything that the Easter Island statues do not: it has a lot of colour and very little weight as it’s made principally from fibre and feathers.
It has none of the enigmatic serenity of the famous stone statues, creating instead an air of menace with the addition of miscellaneous recyclables such as human hair and dog’s teeth.
Another star attraction from Hawaii also includes feathers, without the more alarming material of the deity above. An early 19th century feather cloak is an object of huge rarity and significance that could only be worn by a leader of exceptional power. This example belonged to just such a man, the second King of Hawaii, Liholoho, Kamehameha II. A great changer of conventions, he made the unfortunate decision to visit a disease-infested London in 1824 and died as a consequence. It is fitting that his cape should now be on display there.
If he had worn it on his travels to England, instead of the English clothing that he adopted, the cloak might have protected him from a very early death at 26 years of age.
The taboo-breaking policies of King Liholoho, Kamehameha II had included breaking down the old religious practices and images. A survivor of his Christianinspired iconoclasm is another highlight of the exhibition. At more than two and half metres in height, this temple statue would have been the type of graven image most disapproved of by the mainly Protestant missionaries who travelled to Hawaii. Representing a fearsome-looking god known as the ‘island snatcher’, it shows the florid imagination of the islanders and their skill with carving wood.
The regional ability with wood could be turned to many different purposes, with canoes turning up more frequently than most. A prow ornament from the Solomon Islands would have been fixed to a war canoe. The accomplished use of nautilusshell inlay is something that local carvers had perfected. In addition to their technical proficiency, the way in which the two different media have been combined makes for a masterwork of design. The charm of the subject is far from the bellicose look of much Pacific imagery and is embellished by the addition of a pigeon as a symbol of navigational skill — an attribute much admired in Oceania,
Also greatly admired was food, or to be more precise, feasting. There are few receptacles anywhere that could match this seven-metre-long item, also from the Solomon Islands. This so-called ‘bowl’ has never been exhibited before, perhaps because there aren’t many venues large enough to accommodate it.
Social and environmental issues are very much a part of this exhibition, as they should be for a region that is under more threat than most. There surely won’t be a more comprehensive look at Oceania for decades to come. The one ingredient that has, as always, been left out is Borneo. As the world’s third largest island is not part of Melanesia, Polynesia or Micronesia, this was inevitable. It would already have been difficult enough for the curators to cram in as many cultures as they have. It looks like the tribal art of Borneo, magnificent as it is, will never receive the recognition that has been given to Africa and Oceania. John Pule, Kehe tau hauaga foou (To all new arrivals), 2007. Enamel, oil, pencil, pastel, oil stick and ink on canvas, 270 X 220 cm.