ACTUALITÉ MUSÉES
56
The Island Warrior
CAMBRIDGE—The Island Warrior: Coconut Fibre Armour
from Kiribati is the fruit of a collaboration between the
Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
and Tungaru: the Kiribati Project, the goal of which is to
promote the artistic heritage of the Kiribati archipelagos,
located at the crossroads of Polynesia and Micronesia.
The incredible suits of armor created on these tiny islands
throughout the nineteenth century are the centerpieces of
this fascinating exhibition. Using historical documents as
well as stories recorded from oral tradition, it examines how
they were made and used. This armor was created from
materials that occurred in the islanders’ natural environment.
Coconut fi ber was a major element, chosen for its
strength and fl exibility, and the suits were decorated with
human hair and complemented with helmets made from
blowfi sh. A new suit made by contemporary artists based
in New Zealand using traditional techniques is also included.
ABOVE, LEFT TO RIGHT:
Poster for Red Eagle. Un
des braves de Buffalo Bill’s
Wild West. 1902–1905.
© Max Roy.
Journal des voyages.
© Max Roy.
Maxime Fraikin,
Ce Michelin est
indéchirable, c. 1908.
Lithographic poster. H: 106 cm.
D. L. Collection, Paris.
BELOW: Nicanor Plaza, Le
Dernier des Mohicans, after
1868.
Metal alloy.
© Max Roy.
BOTTOM RIGHT: Kiribati
warrior wearing coconut
fi ber armor.
© MAA, Cambridge.
LEFT: Guillaume
Laplagne, crouching
Sioux radiator mascot
for Renault, 1920–
1930.
Bronze. H: 10 cm.
I. and H. Poulain Collection.
The Scalp and the Calumet
LA ROCHELLE—An exhibition at the Musée du Nouveau
Monde and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de La Rochelle
explores the ways in which the West has imagined and
represented the American Indian from the sixteenth century
through the modern day. Organized thematically
and chronologically, the presentation deconstructs the
stereotypes and fantasies created and nourished by art,
advertisements, and other phenomena relating to the
Old West. The “new continent” has been the source
of fascination and astonishment ever since Christopher
Columbus fi rst landed on its shores, and whether as a
“noble savage,” a romantic hero, a wild libertarian, or
a bloodthirsty savage, the Native American has been
imprinted upon the European collective imagination in
many ways. Like a mirage, these representations have
shifted as philosophical, artistic, and ideological currents
waxed and waned in the Old World. In the nineteenth
century, for example, the Indian was presented as a cruel
and perfi dious enemy at the time of the Indian Wars in
the American West. In the twentieth, he sometimes was
reduced to an entertaining fi gure or even a sports mascot
and was deemed to be child-like. Perceptions today
are more evolved, but the extent of the tragic history of
these wide-ranging peoples remains poorly understood.
This is all the more reason why this exhibition, which
brings together some 300 works, including prints, drawings,
paintings, sculptures, and decorative art objects,
is timely and justifi ed. It can be seen until October 23,
2017.