article
Sculptures of barkcloth and wood from Rapa Nui
RES: Anthropology and Aesthetics • (44) • Published In 1981 • Pages: 10-69 ,
By: Kaeppler, Adrienne Lois.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This is a profusely illustrated study of Rapa Nui wooden and barkcloth sculptures and their meanings, drawing on comparisons to other East Polynesian cultures for clues. Rapa Nui figurines were both ancestral and fertility symbols. An early figurine's ridged backbone represents genealogy, similar to the ridgepole of a Maori house; the word for "backbone" is the same for "family" in Hawaiian. With the collapse of the clan-based system, fertility and transformation associated with birdman cult became themes emphasized in Rapa Nui sculpture: later human figurines have bird-like ribs and wing-like arms; fish carvings have the gular pouch of a frigate bird.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Felted and other non-interworked fabrics
- Special garments
- Woodworking
- Visual arts
- Status, role, and prestige
- Spirits and gods
- Ethnobotany
- Ethnozoology
- Sexuality
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Rapa Nui
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2017
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Oceania
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Polynesia
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- article
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Ethnologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Ian Skoggard ; 2012
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1984, 2001
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1722–1872
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Easter Island, Valparaíso, Chile
- NotesAdditional notes
- Adrienne L. Kaeppler
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 31-33)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 81649939
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Easter Island