id:			118876
accession number:	1940.1079
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/1940.1079
updated:		2022-01-04 15:19:27.428000

Ceremonial Paddle, 1800s. Polynesia, Ra'ivavae, Austral Islands, 19th century. Wood; overall: 21.6 cm (8 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Richard Inglis 1940.1079

title:				Ceremonial Paddle
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			1800s
creation date earliest:		1800
creation date latest:		1899
current location:		
creditline:			Gift of Richard Inglis
copyright:			

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culture:	Polynesia, Ra'ivavae, Austral Islands, 19th century
technique:	wood
department:	Oceania
collection:	Oceanic Art
type:		Sculpture
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

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measurements: Overall: 21.6 cm (8 1/2 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

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fun fact: 


digital description: 


wall description: 
     Fine, chip-carved patterns cover the blades and shafts of Austral Islands ceremonial paddles.  Squatting human figures carved around the butt are called tiki tiki tangata, meaning man-gods.  The shafts of early paddles are usually round in cross-section; 19th-century examples are sometimes square.

     The function of the intricately carved Austral Islands paddles is uncertain.  They may have been displayed on ceremonial occasions, such as dances, pageants, ancestral rituals, or inaugurations.

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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1940.1079/1940.1079_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1940.1079/1940.1079_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/1940.1079/1940.1079_full.tif