Wooden Figure (Moai Kavakava)
date: label: Accession Date
content: 23 Mar 2004
label: Collection Date
content: 18 Dec 1886 to 31 Dec 1886
name: label: Collector
content: Maj. William J. Thomson
label: Donor Name
content: John C. Green
label: Expedition
content: Mohican Survey of Easter Island
label: Vessel
content: U.S.S. Mohican
notes: label: Notes
content: Human-like figure, traditional name: moai kavakava, possibly made of Toromiro wood. Figures of this type were traditionally religious, but were later made for trade. Oversized head and ears. Relief carving on top of head. White shell? and obsidian? inlaid eyes. Prominent eyebrows carved in relief. Protruding ribcage with carved chevron designs depicting ribs extending around to the back and connecting to the backbone, which is also carved in relief. Very long thin arms. Significant splitting of wood along grain on body. Two cm. wide area broken off front of scrotum, probably penis. Also area 2.2 cm. x 1.9 cm. broken off of chin. Later repair using wooden screw to re-attach head and neck. Collected by William Judah Thomson, Paymaster on the USS Mohican, while collecting other Easter Island material for the Smithsonian during U.S. naval expedition in 1886. See accession numbers 19025, 20078, 23098 and 20551 for other objects collected by Thomson.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 26 Dec 2021
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile, Polynesia
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Rapanui (Easter Islander)
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 2030331
label: USNM Number
content: E430952-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Figure
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 66 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 11 cm