Anxiety about the hereafter dominated the concerns of Oceanic peoples. Their world did not distinguish between the living and the dead, the natural and the supernatural. As a result, protective magic was developed involving images of the dead, totemic animals, lizards, crocodiles and sea birds. These images ornamented their assembly houses, served as masks for "secret" society's dancers and sanctified many everyday objects.

In Oceania, objects are utilitarian, for example, weapons, musical instruments and utensils. Their use in elaborate ceremonies was believed to bring good fortune, success and prosperity to an individual or community. Masks and carved figures were made for ceremonies and dances, to tell stories, share customs and maintain the ancestor's tradition. The patterns and colors applied to these objects were very dramatic and complex. Abstraction abounds with rhythmic, curvilinear shapes reinforced with open work.

New Guinea wood carvings are the principal forms in the Museum's collection. Indeed, the area of the 700 mile long Sepik River in north central New Guinea is known for its painted masks, figure, shields, charms, and canoe prows. People adorned their bodies with jewelry usually made from bone, feathers, boar tusks, shell, teeth, vine and human hair.

Since the use of these objects is so important, their production becomes a vital function of the village/tribal unit entrusted to only the most skilled artisans. The careful workmanship of these objects marks their rich culture and makes them, to us, impressive works of art.

New Guinea
New Guinea is an island north of Australia. It is the second largest island in the world next to Greenland.

The majority of New Guinean art is created from wood with relief carving, painting,, and additional ornamentation. Paints are made from vegetable and earth dyes of brown, yellow, white, black, and red. Designs include geometric elements of concentric circles, chevrons, sharp-toothed "zig-zags", and a curvilinear (double spirals) style. There is a frequent emphasis on the nose of a mask or figure since the New Guineans use it as a symbol of beauty. In some cases, the nose runs the entire length of the object. Exaggerated eyes and protruding tongues stress the threatening power of the spirit.
Animal motifs in New Guinean art are just as popular as the human. Sometimes the two are combined. Animal figures may represent a guardian spirit or a clan symbol. Bird figures are frequently associated with the creation of the first man or they may simply reflect the natural admiration of the beautifully colored "birds of paradise" which fly over New Guinea. Sea birds (albatrosses and frigate birds) symbolize speed and become messengers of the gods.
Other animals which commonly appear in New Guinean art are crocodiles, lizards, snakes, and fish.

Masks - Since they represent spirits and ancestors, masks are believed to possess supernatural powers. They were worn at such major rites of passage as birth, name-giving, initiation, marriage and death. Oceanic beliefs also hold that spiritual powers reside in the skull so that mask making is believed to be related to the custom of remodeling the actual human skulls of ancestors. In an attempt to safeguard the deceased's creative force, skulls of the dead are often made into "skull" masks. Racks of trophy skulls would be kept in men's ceremonial houses decorated with shields depicting protective or war making spirit images.

Masks were also used for specific ceremonies, as clan masks, signifiers of rank, and for protection when placed on the gables of houses. Initiations used supernatural, comical, and even frightening masks to reinforce the oral tradition. Death masks portraying the deceased are used in funeral rites as part of ancestor worship.

Masks could be of human, animal and spirit forms, or in combinations. Dancers wearing them were believed to become possessed by such spirits. Dancers thus provided means for spirits to be present.
Figures - Sculpture in human form served a number of purposes. Some became temporary reincarnations of ancestor spirits or other supernatural forest and water beings. In a funeral ceremony it could represent the recently deceased. Monumental figures, some larger than life size, were believed to be founders of a lineage with power or influence an entire community. Smaller figures were owned and cared for by individuals to bring success in warfare or hunting. To remain potent, figures (and masks) were sometimes repainted and their decorations renewed or replaced.

Musical Instruments - Flutes, wooden trumpets and drums provided accompaniment for ceremonies but, in addition, their sounds were thought to represent the voices of spirits. They, too, were ornamented with surface carving and additional decorative materials. Many New Guinean drums are shaped like an hour glass. The typanum of the drum is usually stretched skin whereas the handle is carved into a human figure or animal.

Samoa
In the western island groups such as Samoa decorating clubs was traditional. Wooden bowls were also necessary for foods cooked by dropping hot stones into the bowl.

Large decorative mats and rugs woven from local grasses were a trademark of the Samoan culture. Bark cloth (tapa) made by beating out the inner bark of the paper mulberry plant is also particularly prized. To make large pieces, smaller ones were pasted together.

Hawaii
Hawaiians produced expressive wood work. They carved pipes, bowls, and wooden figures and used the bark of trees to make beautifully designed and textured bark cloth by repetitively beating the bark fibers then stamping or painting the finished product with geometric patterns.

Australia
Australian art patterns originating in pre-history have remained relatively unchanged. They represent magical, religious and symbolic narratives or ritual. The result is a rhythmic, figurative structure of spirals, concentric circles, curves, and straight lines. Applying the pattern is a transfiguration of the object: shield, spirit board, paddle or boomerang.

Philippines
Sometimes thought of as "Indonesian", the Filipinos are more closely related to Malayans as revealed by the shapes and patterned decoration on their headwear, baskets, pots, and bamboo utensils. Outside of the cities, object production is centered around agriculture and fishing. Religious inspiration came for the Christian north and Islamic southern areas. The Carved Ceremonial Table is an uncommon example of rare quality and age.

Please note, paintings, objects and artists represented on the website may not be on view at all times.

Ronald C. Roth Director & CEO