Head of a carved wooden tiki stela, 182cm tall, acquired by the Papeete Museum in 1976, 1 of 4 tikis from the Marae Mateheimanu in the Hanaei Valley on the East coast of Ua Huka, Marquesas Islands, in the Musee de Tahiti et des Iles, or Te Fare Manaha, at Punaauia, on the island of Tahiti, in the Windward Islands, Society Islands, French Polynesia. Tikis are protective statues representing Ti’i, a half-human half-god ancestor who is believed to be the first man. The Museum of Tahiti and the Islands was opened in 1974 and displays collections of nature and anthropology, habitations and artefacts, social and religious life and the history of French Polynesia. Picture by Manuel Cohen
Add to Cart Add to Lightbox Download