Dating back to almost 3,ooo years ago, the Polynesian islands where an empire full of skilled builders and strict social rankings. One of there famous contributions was there intricate canoes, crafted with a
As well as their specialized ship craftsmanship, many artifacts depict the Polynesians as excellent carvers. For instance this wooden carving of a person in a canoe is an excellent example of the tiki (or human sculpture) that were found in the Polynesian island of Marquese. There distinct use of facial details decorate many of the found artifacts from the islands.
A commonly shared factor that the Polynesians practiced was the
idea of religion. Gifting there deities with the power to help them lead successful lives. A representation of that kind of higher power can be shown through this sculpture of a fishermen god, the Polynesians deity for wishing upon them a good catch. Yet again the figure is representing the Polynesians use of sculpting in there artifacts, in this ones case, as a means to honor there ideas of religion.
Yet another carving of a deity, this one depicts a large bellied man the bodies of three other boys attached to his chest. It was common in their carvings for the Polynesians to show there gods as larger bellied men often with big ears and long genitals. It has been theorized that this is a representation of the god Tangaroa. The item itself made out of ironwood.
There where a variety of objects such as, blades, axes, and hammers such as the one shown on the side, that are being preserved in museums form the Polynesians ancient times. The findings of the tools shows cultures advancements in society at the time, using technology to manipulate the earth around them.
Along with tools, the Polynesian also showed advancement in sea travel technology. Now the use of an anchor seems almost plaintively obvious, the idea of how to make a boat stop seems like a simple construct but, at the time of the Polynesians the idea of being able to stop your canoe to fish was a relatively new one. Seeing as these people were primarily a fishing-based society, the invention and use of the anchor, or even just the ability to have fishing net, was astronomical.
Weaving is a textile concept still used today. Through the weavings found on the Polynesian islands of Astrul, it gives the viewer an idea of there agricultural life: their material usage allowing an insight into the resources of the time period. Weavings where found to be used as furniture, fans, and other household objects.
This bark cloth is another example of the use of natural resources to create functional art. With this artifact one gets a look into the usage of bark as medium for Polynesian art, thus, providing information about the availability of certain textile materials.
Of most peculiarity, the discovery of intricately carved toilet seat holders is one of the most interesting of found Polynesian artifacts. The use of complicated detail work on such an item shown is fascinating. Discoveries of such objects shows the beginnings of humans idea of effective technology to get rid of waste.
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