Wooden Male Figure
date: label: Accession Date
content: 1858
label: Collection Date
content: 1838 to 1842
name: label: Donor Name
content: United States Exploring Expedition
notes: label: Notes
content: STANDING MALE FIGURE CARVED IN RELIEF FROM A PLANK OF "VESI" WOOD. THE HEAD AND FACE ARE REALISTICALLY RENDERED, WITH INDICATIONS OF A TURBAN COVERING THE HAIR. THERE ARE ALSO INCISIED GEOMETRIC DECORATIONS ON THE BACK OF THE PLANK. THE BOARD HAS THREE HOLES ALONG ONE SIDE, PRESUMABLY ATTACHMENT. PUBLICATION: ILLUSTRATED IN "THE ART OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS," GATHERCOLE, KAEPPLER, NEWTON, 1979, P. 94, "FIJIAN POST IMAGE." OLD CATALOGUE CARD NOTES, "THIS WOOD OF NO. 3725 IS VESI, NOW BOTANICALLY REFERRED TO AS INTSIA BIJUGA OF WHICH ALZELIA BIJUGA IS A SYNONYM, VESI IS NOT A TREE FERN, BUT A MEMBER OF THE LEGUMINOSEE FAMILY." WILLIAM WATKINS, 8/30/1956.
label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "3275, ORIG. 1819. IMAGE, WOODEN, MALE ORIG. CAT.: "1819, IDOL OBTAINED FROM THE CHIEF OF THE SPIRIT PLACE OF THE FIJIANS AT RAWA, ISLAND OF VITI LEVU." VERY HEAVY WOOD. ON A BOARD 1.5" THICK, WITH 3 HOLES ALONG ONE SIDE TO BE LASHED TO SOME OTHER MEMBER. SEE CARVING ON BACK THRU PHOTOS. REPORT BY WILLIAM WATKINS, 8/30/56: "THE WOOD OF YOUR NO. 3275 IS VESI, NOW BOTANICALLY REFERRED TO AS INTSIA BIJUGA OF WHICH AFZELIA BIJUGA IS A SYNONYM." "VESI IS NOT A TREE FERN, BUT A MEMBER OF THE LEGUMINOSEE FAMILY."
label: Notes
content: From Peale catalogue, under # 1819: "Idol obtained from "the chief spirit place" of the Fiji's at Rawa [possibly Rewa?], Island of "Viti Levu".
label: Notes
content: Illustrated Fig. 140, p. 198 in Hooper, Steven, and Adi Meretu Ratunabuabua. 2016. Fiji art and life in the Pacific. Norwich: Sainsbury Research Unit for the Arts of Africa, Oceania & the Americas. Identified there: Matakau (Male Figure). "This figure may have been acquired because it had been damaged in a fire and no longer served as part of the entrance-way of a temple. The surface is charred .... The figure is made of vesi (Intsia bijuga), and the side of the plank behind its left arm has a rounded edge with engraved designs, suggesting it was originally a door jamb for the temple entrance ... The figure and plank are squared off below the knees ... and the head has a curving band across the forehead ..., which is likely to represent a feathered headband ..."
label: Notes
content: Wooden figure, matakau, door side from a temple in Rewa (eastern coast of Viti Levu). Male figure seems to wear a wig and a frontlet, indicative of a chiefly rank.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 30 Jul 2020
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Rawa (Rewa ?), Viti Levu Island, Fiji, Melanesia
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Fijian
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 66A00050
label: USNM Number
content: E3275-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Figure
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 106 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 24 cm
label: Depth - Object
content: 19 cm