Rarotonga, Cook Islands, central Polynesia. Late 18th to early 19th century C.E. Wood, tapa, fiber, and feathers
A standing semihuman figure having claws, a feline face with crossed fangs, and a staff in each hand. Above his head, occupying two-thirds of the stone, is a towering, pillarlike structure
FULLY IDENTIFY
Staff God
Artist not known (Rarotongan people - women & men)
Late 18th - early 19th century C.E.
Carved wood, bark cloth, tapa, fiber & feathers
Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Central Polynesia
Currently housed with Trustees of the British Museum (not on public display)
FORM
Alternating figures appear to be placed along the spine, alluding to genealogical continuity & Tangaroa’s children
Represent male & female roles in reproduction
Reference to Tangaroa as a god of fertility:
Female figures (shown from front) = women in childbirth
Male figures (shown from side) = important ancestors
Barkcloth wrapping
Polynesians would have believed that the cloth was needed to protect deity’s spiritual force
This force, MANA, is contained within the layers
Red feathers and pearls on the wooden head also act as a symbol of MANA
If wrapping comes off, deity would leave, and the staff god would be useless
Provides deity with clothing, as seeing a god naked would have been inappropriate
Phallus at the bottom is a reference to Tangaroa being responsible for creation, and thus sexual reproduction
FUNCTION
Meant to be a symbol of “manava” or the soul of god
1888- The Cook islands became a protectorate of Britain- in this way the Staff God celebrates paganism and the life native people held before the influx of missionaries and their conversion to Christianity
Little is known of the function of this work- art historians posit that the staff is used to worship Tangaroa (creator of God)
Protects ancestral power of “mana” or deity of the society
CONTENT
12 feet long
Includes Tangaroa’s head, spine, & body
Elongated body topped by carved head
Head makes up about ⅓ of wood carving
Smooth
Stylized large eyes
Pointed chin
Close mouth
A line of smaller figures were carved just below the head
Small figures alongside larger ones = characteristic of Polynesian art
Alternate between male and female
Most of figure (besides head/neck) are encased in barkcloth
Clothing & protection
CONTEXT
Late 18th century-early 19th century CE
Wooden and humanistic head is at the top and at the end is a naturalistic phallus
Missionaries often began to cut off the natural phallus because they felt it was indecent
In reality, native people to these islands did not hold the same standards of modesty and shame over sex- this work that celebrates the naturalness of sex really represents their goal to survive and build future generations.
Both women and men are present on the wooden head of the staff- women are in childbirth
This is another reference to the importance of fertility
Survival was creating new members of the Cook Island civilization- they celebrated the natural process behind it rather than cover it up (frequently done in the Western World)
The only surviving and wrapped example of a staff god of the Cook Islands
Very valuable to art historians
Taragoa was seen as the very first god- he was born in an egg
After birth he busted out of his shell and found that no one else was there- after that he became dedicated to creating his own “family of gods’
Christian missionaries convinced the Rarotongan people (people of the Cook Islands) to embrace Christianity and abandon their own faith- due to this much of art historians’ knowledge about traditions and religious beliefs original to the island “are irrevocably lost”
Producing barkcloth was a demanding & complicated process
THEMES
Fertility
Gender roles
Sex
The Natural World
Creation
Effects of Colonialism
Sacred
Lineage
Images of Identity- social
Ritualistic
Materials and their Symbolism
CROSS-CULTURAL CONNECTION
Hiapo (tapa)- similar connotation and also made of bark cloth
