A god from Rurutu (tactile)
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- Synopsis
- Rurutu, Austral Islands. Late 18th to early 19th century. Wood Size: 117 cm high and 32 cm wide. Museum number Oc LMS.19. In August 1821, a group of people from Rurutu sailed to Ra'iatea, one of the Society Islands, to present their god images to the English missionary John Williams. The population of Rurutu had all converted to Christianity together, following a decision made by their leaders. This figure, known as A'a, was the major god image they presented. It was described by John Williams as ‘being the national god of Rurutu'. The figure has a detachable panel at the back that at the time it was presented to Williams, contained many other smaller figures. It may have originally been used to hold the bones of an important ancestor.A'a is one of the most famous objects in the British Museum's collections, celebrated by Europeans and Pacific islanders alike. It has influenced both poets and sculptors. Several visitors from Rurutu have come to the Museum to pay homage to A'a in recent years. The figure is still considered important in Rurutu today. The light brown carved wooden figure is facing the viewer. It has a large rounded head on an elongated slim body with a protruding belly, short legs that stop just below the knee and arms at the side of the body with 4 fingered hands resting on the protruding belly. The surface of the figure is smooth with no pattern. Attached to the surface, at regular intervals, are 30 smaller figures. The smaller figures on the face form the ears, eyes, nose, mouth and cheeks. The tactile image shows the outline of the figure as a thick line. The 25 of the 30 smaller figures are shown as solid texture. Braille labels have been added: head, ear, eyes, nose, cheek, mouth, arm, hand, leg, knee and genitals.
- Copyright:
- 2011
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Excellent
- Publisher:
- RNIB
- Date of Addition:
- 05/10/17
- Copyrighted By:
- RNIB
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- Religion and Spirituality
- Submitted By:
- Chantelle Hughes
- Proofread By:
- N/A
- Usage Restrictions:
- This is a copyrighted book.