Male Ancestor Figure (Moai Kava-Kava)
Artist:
Unknown
Culture: Rapa Nui
Date: late- 19th-early- 20th century
Medium: Wood and obsidian
Dimensions:
h. 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm); w. 2 9/16 in. (6.5 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr.
Object number: 77.1098
Label Text
These remarkable wood figures from Easter Island, carved from the root of the "toro miro" plant, were among the most extraordinary creations of Polynesia. They stand in a stooped pose and are meticulously carved with fine detailing of eyebrows, beard, ears, ribs and vertebrae. Most scholars agree they represent ancestors who reappeared to the living as ghosts. The beard denotes an elder and further supports the ancestral iconography.
On view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
