Page 88

T82E

Hiva Oa, particularly at the sites of Puamau and Nuku Hiva at Taipivai, but they also are found on Ua Huka and to a lesser extent on Ua Pou. The best-known example of these measures 263-cm in height and represents the great chief Takai’i (fi g. 3). It has immense eyes and a squat body on powerful legs, effectively rendered in the same overall proportions as the small stone tiki. In former times, its body was covered with shallow parallel grooves like those seen on better preserved statues such as the large wooden tiki at the Musée de Tahiti et des Îles (fi g. 11) or on stilt steps and on tiki made for canoes. Sculpted Heads Certain tiki represent vanquished enemies who were offered as a sacrifi ce to the gods. Indeed, for the same reasons the Marquesans preserved the skulls of their enemies as trophies and used their bones to make ornaments and fi sh hooks, they sculpted stone representations called heaka of the heads of the victims they had sacrifi ced. These were placed in the me’ae in order to prolong the humiliation of the victims. Such heads were often carved of hard volcanic or vacuolar stone and have FIG. 9 (far left): Installation view of Tiki. Author’s photo. FIG. 10 (left): Tiki post. Hokatu, Ua Huka, Marquesas Islands. Wood. H: 163 cm. Ex Papeete Museum. Musée de Tahiti et des Îles – Te Fare Manaha, inv. 116. Acquired in 1929. Photo: M. H. Villierme. FIGS. 11a and b (below and right): Tiki post (front and back). Marquesas Islands. Wood. H: 229 cm. Ex Papeete Museum. Musée de Tahiti et des Îles – Te Fare Manaha, inv. 89. Acquired in 1922. Photo: D. Hazama. ART ON VIEW


T82E
To see the actual publication please follow the link above