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: --- culture: Polynesia, Ra'ivavae, Austral Islands, 19th century technique: wood department: Oceania collection: Oceanic Art type: Sculpture find spot: catalogue raisonne: --- CREATORS --- measurements: Overall: 21.6 cm (8 1/2 in.) state of the work: edition of the work: support materials: inscriptions: --- CURRENT EXHIBITIONS --- LEGACY EXHIBITIONS --- PROVENANCE --- 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. --- RELATED WORKS --- CITATIONS --- 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