79 In the early contact period, all of the arts were sacred and were the province of specialists called tuhuka or tuhuna. These were the skilled artisans responsible for the successful production of important objects such as canoes and houses or for the overseeing of specifi c activities including fi shing and tattooing. They were also in charge of the rituals that surrounded the manufacture of an object or the pursuit of an activity that were necessary to ensure its success. Objects were made to endure, and their quality and beauty were important. Many, such as intricately woven fans (tahii) and ear ornaments (pu taiana/putaiata) worn by high-ranking women, were passed down from generation to generation. The next fi ve sections of the exhibition explore the arts in specifi c contexts, beginning with objects that were part of daily life—stone food pounders (fi gs. 15 and 17), bowls, kava bowls and cups (fi gs. 8 and 9), canoe prows (fi g. 11), and beaten barkcloth, commonly known in the Pacifi c as tapa, but called kahu in the Marquesas. Religion and the gods are the focus of the next section, which displays ten tiki in stone and wood, and twentyfi ve made from human bone, called ivi poo (fi g. 1). Tiki could stand on sacred places, the meàe; be buried in the ground to ensure the fertility of the soil; be placed at the extremities of an area to mark its limits and indicate a tapu, or prohibition; serve as house posts; or adorn common objects in order to assure success in their endeavors. In size, they range from 5 cm to more than 2 meters tall in the case of one stone tiki that is still in the Marquesas. Also on display in this area are other objects used in religious practice and associated with funerary rites. Of particular note, for the latter, are kotuè/ôtuè, bowls whose elegant curving lines and carved head and tail suggest the body of a bird, which are used to store precious objects and also the skulls of important, tapu, people (fi g. 7). The ceremonies and feasts, koìna or koìka, that are central to Marquesan life are the subject of the fourth section. They revolved around the life and death of the high chief, the hakaìki, and celebrated important moments in his life and those of his family, including puberty ceremonies, marriages, and the end of tattooing sessions. Other community events were also celebrated, such as a major breadfruit harvest, a victory in battle, and the honoring of a person or guest. Festivals demonstrated the cohesion and vitality of the entire community and demanded months of planning and preparation. They took place on tohua, large public gathering places where chants and dances were integral parts of
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