ETHOC K000253

boite avec couvercle kotue ou ’otue

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K000253
Kotue or 'otue lidded bowl
French Polynesia, Marquesas Islands
Late 18th - early 19th century
Wood, plant fibre. H 27 cm
Former collection of the Archaeological Museum; acquired before 1864
MEG Inv. ETHOC K000253
Geolocate the object
This very rare bowl – only thirteen still exist – is carved in the shape of a bird with a human head. It has a movable lid and was a storage container for popoi (a dish made from the breadfruit tree), ornaments, and ‘eka, the precious curcuma powder used to paint tapa cloth and skin. The skulls of chiefs (haka'iki) were laid in it and carried to sacred ceremonial sites.

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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.

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