NOMA | New Orleans Museum of Art

The New Orleans Museum of Art’s collection of tribal arts from Oceania focuses on art works from Polynesia, Melanesia and Indonesia.

Polynesia
The connection features an 18th Century temple figure collected by Captain James Cook on his third voyage to the Hawaiian Islands in 1779. The primary function of the temple figure was to protect sacred precincts and, therefore, they are made to appear aggressive, even threatening. The tall, complex headdress, carved in a series of knobular projections, surmounts the figure.

Other notable works in the Polynesian collection include a nephrite pendant [hei tiki] from the Maori peoples of New Zealand, an Easter Island wood standing male figure [moai kava kava], a Samoan Island wood club and a Fiji Island whale tooth necklace [vuaseisei]. From the Marquesas Islands, Fatu Hiva, is a wood standing male figure and two bone toggle switches [ivi po’o].

Melanesia
The greatest concentration of significant art produced in the South Pacific Islands is found on Papua New Guinea, particularly in the Sepik, Yuat, Karawari and Ramu River regions. The fact that approximately 800 different languages are spoken by the three million people living in the area leads to a constant state of tribal warfare. As a result of the complexity of interrelationships between these various cultures, it is often easier to sort and identify their artistic endeavors by geographic region instead of by individual tribal names.

Indonesia
The Batak, consisting of six ethnic groups numbering three million, live in the mountainous highlands of Northern Sumatra, isolated by rugged, deep river gorges and impenetrable forests. This detachment from outside influences has kept their culture relatively pure for centuries, but over the years, Christianity, Islam, and Dutch colonialism have made inroads upon the Batak.

Influential in Karo Batak society are magician-priests, called guru, who have extensive knowledge of the ancient religion and can perform a variety of useful practices and rituals. During their professional duties, the guru often use magic wands made of a tall bamboo or wood staff surmounted with single or multiple figures. It is believed that the magical powers of these wands include the ability to ward off evil, make rain, cause death, and guarantee the fertility of crops, animals and humans. NOMA’s collection of Batak artifacts also include a shell and brass necklace and a large wood helmet mask.

Other fascinating objects in the collection include a fine cotton ritual weaving [tampan] from Sumatra, a 19th century bone carve weaver’s pick from the Dyak peoples of Borneois, a Lombok betal nut pestle and a seated male ancestor figure [adu] from the Nias Islands.