TIKI been found mainly on Hiva Oa and Tahuata. Karl von den Steinen was told that a head at the Lipona me’ae on Hiva Oa was a representation of Tiu O’o, a defeated chief who had been sacrifi ced (fi g. 4). “That is why, it was said, his mouth ... was open like that of the head of a victim, which had been severed and placed on a bed of leaves” (von den Steinen 2005, vol. 2: 80). Another type of head was carved into the stone pavement of the paepae (fi g. 6). Generally much larger than those of the sacrifi ce victims, these appear to represent the tribe’s ancestors, since sacred designs are sometimes carved at the corners of the mouth (fi g. 7). Tiki House Posts Three tiki posts supported the central roof beam of funerary houses that were erected in the me’ae to preserve the remains of the deceased (fi gs. 5, 8, and 9). The tiki at the extremities faced one another, while the one in the center was turned to face outside (fi g. 10). The body was placed into a wooden receptacle surrounded with offerings intended to nourish it in the world beyond. After several years, the bones were moved to the aerial root system of a sacred banyan tree. Monumental Wooden Tiki The perishable nature of wood in a tropical environment only occasionally allowed for abandoned statues to survive in the humid valley fl oors. These majestic and impressive tiki nonetheless appear to have once been abundant, and a number of European visitors attest to having seen them. Only four are now known to have been preserved. Two of these were taken from the Atuona me’ae by a Bishop Museum expedition and have been in that institution ever since. The third is displayed at the Field Museum in Chicago, and the fourth—the most massive—is at the Musée de Tahiti et des Îles and is featured in the present exhibition (fi g. 11). Small Single and Double Stone Tiki Unlike the large tiki, the smaller single or double examples were almost never seen by Western explorers. Only Edward Handy (1923: 238) and Louis Rollin (1929: 110) mention their use by the tau’a, “sorcerer-healers,” for treating certain illnesses or as ex-voto offerings on the me’ae (fi g. 12). 87
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