Oceania (Hawaiian) Art and Culture

Hawaii ( the Big Island), Kauai, Kaholawe, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, Niihau and Oahu make up the last great island nation. This collection of eight beautiful islands which have developed both a culture and art that is as spectacular as the islands. 

The Hawaiian culture is so intertwined that there are few pure blooded Hawaiians left. Those that are carry the traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. The original inhabitants of Hawaii were the Polynesians. Between 300-800 CE they sailed from the other islands in the South Pacific and reached the island chain. 

Culture: 

Hula: Was and still is a traditional dance in the Hawaiian Islands. Originally, the dance was used to tell epic tails, mythology, and stories. The dancers trained for long periods of time and were paied vary well by the upper cast and by the king or ali'i. 

Surfing: The ancient Hawaiians used surfing to settle and decide multiple things, most importantly they used surfing during disagreements between chiefs and tribes. A ancient Hawaiian historian named Kepelino said:

"Expert surfers going upland to farm, if part way up perhaps they look back and see the rollers combing the beach, will leave their work ... then hurrying away home, they will pick up the board and go. All thought of work is at an end, only that of sport is left. The wife may go hungry, the children, the whole family, but the head of the house does not care. He is all for sport, that is his food."

Art: 

Hawaiian Rock Carvings: One of the major art developments in Hawaii is now barely viable. The Rock Carvings can be found on the island of Lanai, on the coast line. There are 20 boulders with over 400 petroglyph of humans, deer, and other animals carved into them. It says that the humans are not humans, but gods. The petroglyph were used in a ceremonial traditions to remember certain religious events in the Hawaiian culture. 

New Zealand Art and Culture

The Next Island nation is the island of New Zealand. New Zealand is said to have one of the most interesting and rich history. With a mix of both European and the native Maori roots. In order to understand the art and culture of the island, we have to look at the people.

The First Settlers: The Maori
As Maori mythology says, it was the great Polynesian Kupe, who discovered New Zealand. This myth is actually historically accurate, because we see similar ways of living and almost identical development of technology. The Polynesians set out in extremely large canoes from anyone of the hundreds of islands they had populated in the Southern Pacific.It is said that between 1200-1300 CE is when the first people set foot on this vast island.

Above: A map of Pacific migration 

Maori Culture: 

Whakairo: An intricate carving on either a hook,art piece, or building. 

Whakairo is an art skill few can even try to attempt. The last great Whakairo carver was Tene Waitere who died in 1931. Less well known artist still continue the Maori tradition.

Haka: is a traditional war cry or dance used by both ancient tribes and modern athletes. There are two main types of Haka. The first is the regular or welcoming Haka used to great distinguished guests, amusement, and for special occasions(funerals).  The next Haka is the War Haka or Peruperu Haka, this would be preformed before a battle either between tribes or with foreigners. The main point was to show their strength over their opponents and essentially scare them into retreating. This Haka is still used today by the rugby teams of New Zealand, like the All Blacks.

Traditional Haka

Haka preformed by the rugby team the All Blacks

Ta Moko:  The sacred "tattooing" or carving on the skin. In each mark tells us the individuals genealogy and his tribe's historical information.

"The marks in general are spirals drawn with great nicety and even elegance. One side corresponds with the other. The marks on the body resemble foliage in old chased ornaments, convolutions of filigree work, but in these they have such a luxury of forms that of a hundred which at first appeared exactly the same no two were formed alike on close examination"

-Capitan Cook 1769 

The process consists of a chiseling on the skin not a tattooing. They Maori used uhi (Chisels) to hit with a small mallet on to the skin. After that process a chard pigment was rubbed into the groves made previously.

For more Information:

Pure New Zealand

New Zealand: A History 

Papua New Guinea Art and Culture

The second largest island in the world it is  home to a people and a culture like no other. Like the island nation of Japan, Papua New Guinea was isolated for westernization, until the mid 18th century. 

Info on the Island:

• On the island there are over 900 different languages spoke
• Large amount of animal and plant life with over 30 different species of pigs
• Has both snow- covered mountains and low valleys 
• Over 100 different tribes each with a different tradition.

Architecture: The architecture of the island nation is that of Hawaii or Indonesia.We see the large central community building in most tribes that are permanent. They all seem to be constructed with a steeple like facade, which points to the heavens. The other buildings in the village would most likely be a hut like structure with round pointed roofs to keep water from settling and destroying the roofs. 

Art Form: The Mask 

Masks in Papuan culture are very VERY important. There are five major forms of masks.

These include:

Ancestral Masks/Figures: These masks or figures represented past ancestors and loved ones who have past away.It also was a way to keep that individuals spirit in the village.

Mwai Masks: These masks are used only when the time has come for a boy to become a man. The masks will be worn by the village elders during the ceremony.

Savi Masks: These masks are used to ward off black magic and evil spirits.They are said to be the protectors of the clan, and defend them from enemies of the tribe.

Dance Masks: These masks would accompany a costume and ceremony. They would be used to receive blessings from the spirits for war parties or good harvests. 

Canoe Prow Masks: These masks were fastened on the front of the canoes. They were said to have spirit warriors in them that would protect and guide the canoe and all inside. 

Art Form: The Shields and Hooks

The culture also included many painted shields and hooks used for battle. 

The Hook: The hook had multiply uses in Papuan culture,the first was to enclose evil spirits, and the second was a more practical uses , hanging food. The last was the hook was used in battle as a club. 

The Ceremonial Shield: Oddly enough these shield never felt the blow of a weapon. The shield were brought to the battle field as "good luck charms" then set down once the fighting started.The shields place was in the home.They were used to ward off neighboring spirits that would try to take things from the home. No two of the shields are a like. 

For more information on this and other island cultures check out Lost Worlds Art

Australian Aboriginal Art

The Aboriginal people of Australia are one of the oldest groups of people in the world. It is said that the natives of Australia have been there for all most 70,000 years. The name Aboriginal was given to the natives when English colonists came to settle and develop Australia. The word means "the originals". 

 The people of Australia developed three main art forms. The first was used almost 70,000 years ago. It was the creation of rock paintings. Like those of France and Spain, the Aboriginal people created paintings on rocks instead of caves. The paintings did not stop at rocks. They also used the backs of the bark from the Eucalyptus tree to create small, more portable paintings. These paintings have been called the Dreamtime. This Dreamtime is said to be the creation story, for the Aboriginal people. These paintings of birds telling kangaroos of a hunter or large fish were said to have possessed magical powers. If you painted picture of large bountiful catches of fish, that's what you would receive. These works were said to be a part of ceremonial process. The natives used paints made from Ocher, a hard iron-oxide substance and other natural pigments. For their brushes they used sticks.

The second form is a dot like form, similar to Seurat, who painted also using small dots. The National Museum of Australian Art  tells us that, "The works feature a symbolic language of U shapes, concentric circles, journey lines and bird and animal tracks." These patterns in the art are extremely detailed, colorful, and time consuming. 

The third art form is the painting of faces and bodies of the Aboriginal people. This art form is clearly beyond the European tradition. The painting of the human body is seen in numerous other native societies such as the Americans of North, Central  and South America. According to Indigenous In-style,a Australian blog,"Some different types of Australian Aboriginal art that are particularly used to decorate the body include scars, feathers, ornaments, face paint, and body paint. Symbols are heavily used and can denote many things about the person who uses it. Body painting is often used to tell a story." The symbolism involved in creating and telling a story on a human body takes much time and patience.( Below are some commonly used symbols) For more infomation check out this video: National Geographic Rock Art