Tiki statuette, Museum of Tahiti and the Islands

Small tiki statuette in basalt, 12.2cm tall, acquired in 1976, in the Musee de Tahiti et des Iles, or Te Fare Manaha, at Punaauia, on the island of Tahiti, in the Windward Islands, Society Islands, French Polynesia. Tikis are protective statues representing Ti'i, a half-human half-god ancestor who is believed to be the first man. This tiki is old and was once attached at the back and differs from many other tikis, with fine treatment of the chest and a smaller nose and head than usual. The Museum of Tahiti and the Islands was opened in 1974 and displays collections of nature and anthropology, habitations and artefacts, social and religious life and the history of French Polynesia. Picture by Manuel Cohen

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Ancestor Archipel Basalt Collectivite Collectivity Doutre-mer Fare Francaise Guardian Iles Manaha Oceania Polynesia Polynesian Polynesie Punaauia Republique Societe Statuette Tahiti Tahitian Tiki Totaiete Vent Volcanic Windward

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