Stone, Bone, Shell

Art forms produced across the pacific region display sophisticated skill and are significantly diverse in terms of style and technique. Historically, material culture throughout Polynesia was clearly dictated by the natural resources available within the local environment; the materials exploited limited to stone, bone, wood, fibre, shell and in some cases clay. Utilitarian and ceremonial objects were generally fashioned from substances appropriate to the function the item was intended to perform.

Artefacts were not considered ‘art’ by their creators, but formed an integral part of the religious and social ceremony of everyday island life. Art objects created predominately from stone, bone and shell have included ancestor figures, canoe-prow ornaments, ceremonial and utilitarian weapons, masks, ancestral carvings, musical instruments and items of personal adornment. In New Zealand, pounamu was considered the most esteemed of materials due to its rarity and translucent beauty. It was therefore mainly reserved for items of considerable significance.

See Also: Represented Artist: Sofia Tekela-Smith