Atea: Nature and Divinity in Polynesia

Atea: Nature and Divinity in Polynesia is the Winter 2019 issue of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, written by Maia Nuku. This digital PDF presents the museum’s exhibition study of Polynesian art and ideas about nature and divinity. The publication is available for instant download in PDF format.

The Bulletin considers some thirty works of Polynesian art from the late eighteenth to the nineteenth century. It draws on The Met’s holdings and loans from American collections. These objects include figural sculpture, featherwork, and fiber works from across Polynesia.

Book Overview

Atea: Nature and Divinity in Polynesia explores how Polynesians traditionally understood their relationship with divinity. Polynesians saw the link between humanity and the divine as active and manifested in plants, feathers, and fibers. The text examines concepts such as atea, mana, and tapu through the material nature of the art itself.

The publication accompanies the exhibition of the same name, organized by Maia Nuku, and reflects a new phase in scholarship on the early ritual landscape of Polynesia.

What You’ll Discover Inside

• An introduction to Polynesian cosmological ideas, including the emergence of space and light from ancestral darkness.
• About thirty exceptional works of Polynesian art dating from the late eighteenth to the nineteenth century.
• Discussion of figural sculpture in wood and whale ivory, feather headdresses and cloaks, and painted barkcloths.
• Consideration of chiefly power, mana, and the spiritual essence of red feathers and organic materials.
• References to ancestral homeland names such as Havai’i, Avaiki, Savai’i, Hawaiki, and Hawai’i.
• A detailed look at the Tongan deity Hikule’o and one of only six known female deity figures from Tonga.

Why This Book Matters

This Bulletin accompanies the exhibition Atea: Nature and Divinity in Polynesia, on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art from November 19, 2018, through October 27, 2019. Organized by Maia Nuku, the project reflects a new phase in scholarship that looks to recover the early ritual landscape of Polynesia by studying the material nature of the art itself.

The publication also appears as The Met prepares to refresh its galleries of Oceanic art. It offers a concise, authoritative introduction to Polynesian artistic traditions and their continued relevance.

Book Details

Device Compatibility

This is a digital download and no physical item will be shipped. Access is available after purchase through your account or email delivery.

The PDF can be viewed on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices using Kindle apps, Adobe Reader, and other compatible reading applications.

FAQ

How soon will I receive the PDF? Access is available immediately after purchase from the digital download page.

Will I receive a physical book? No. This is a digital publication and no physical copy will be sent.

Which devices can open this file? The PDF works with Kindle apps, tablets, desktop readers, and mobile apps that support PDF files.

Download Atea: Nature and Divinity in Polynesia and explore this concise study of Polynesian art and belief.

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