ART 112 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Austral Islands, Raffia Palm, Island Life
Document Summary
Chapter 8: introduction to the arts of polynesia. Oceania is comprised of the island groups of melanesia, micronesia, and polynesia. In this unit, we will focus on four polynesian cultures: hawaii, samoa, maori, rapanui (see purple section above). Polynesia makes up one fifth of the world"s surface. It is roughly a 5,000 mile long triangle that extends from hawaii to easter island to new zealand. Polynesians share distinct cultural characteristics: a common language, an emphasis on geneaology, and a highly developed aristocracy. Prior to the contact period, all islands recognized a social hierarchy comprised of chiefs, nobles, priests, warriors, commoners, and slaves. The polynesian islands were settled relatively late and also discovered by outsiders relatively late. In terms of artforms, many object were made of ephemeral materials like feathers, bark, and raffia which tend to readily disintigerate in a hot and humid climate.
