ETHOC 000181

éventail tahi'i

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000181
Tahi'i fan
French Polynesia, Marquesas Islands
Second half of the 19th century
Coconut fibre, wood. H 43 cm, W 32 cm
Gift of Paul and Fréd. Schazmann in 1901
MEG Inv. ETHOC 000181
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These fans with carved handles are among the most beautiful Polynesian accessories. Apart from their utilitarian function, they were objects of finery and insignia of distinction carried by high-ranking men and women on ceremonial occasions. Made by tuhuka a'aka tahi'i specialists, they were family heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation.

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French Polynesia

French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of the French Republic, is composed of about 118 volcanic or coral islands, grouped in five archipelagos: the Society Islands, the Marquesas Islands, the Austral Islands, the Gambier Islands and the Tuamotu Islands.

Despite their political ties to France, the people of these archipelagos have and express a strong sense of their Polynesian identity.

Signs of rank, power and prestige

Works from this part of the world give us the opportunity to address the issues of power and prestige and show the communicative capacity of art. Ornamental objects such as jewellery and accessories, as well as weapons, can become status symbols and reveal the codes that distinguish human beings, signalling the gender, age group and rank of the wearer.

Bibliograpy

  • Fuerst, René. 1994. Bois sculptés des mers du sud. Ivrea (Italie) : Priuli & Verlucca, Musée d'ethnographie de Genève, Pages 92, 101

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