Pacific Ocean Culture

The Pacific Ocean takes up half the total expanse of sea in the world. Scattered across this vast area are collections of islands which are divided into the three culture groups known as Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia. The inhabitants of all the islands were much affected by commercial exploitation and missionary activity during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Pacific collection provides interesting insights into the lifestyle and customs of the people and contains irreplaceable examples of native craftsmanship. Modern inhabitants of the islands have great pride in the works of their ancestors.

The Maori of New Zealand valued greenstone or nephrite which was found only on South Island. This large greenstone tiki has paua shell eyes and would have been worn by a Maori nobleman or his wife, 19th century. Donated by Mrs F. Sykes, 1933.

Easter Island
The tapa cloth figure is one of only three such figures which survive. It is one of the most striking images of Easter Island, the most remote of all the Polynesian group. It is made of folded rushes covered in barkcloth painted in black designs with orange on the face.

Marquesas Islands
When Captain James Cook visited the Marquesas Islands in 1774 he wrote ‘The Inhabitants of these Islands are without exception as fine a race of people as any in this sea or perhaps any whatever’. The men were tall and strong and the most noble had complete body tattoos.

Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islanders built large plank-built canoes. The planks were cut to fit closely together, holes were bored through the wood and they were lashed together with strong creepers. Finally the seams were caulked with putty nut to keep them watertight.

Vanuata, Melanesia
Music and dance played a large part in the lives of the Pacific Islanders. While the range of musical instruments was not great, all islands in Polynesia and Melanesia had several. This is a unique type of slit drum from Vanuatu in the shape of a standing male figure.

Gilbert Island
The Gilbert Islands are unique in having knives and weapons made from palm wood with sharks’ teeth attached by woven coconut fibre cordDagger and tool or weapon, Gilbert Island, Grainger Coll. pre-1890. The dagger has 15 pairs of bicuspid shark teeth bound with coir to pierced.