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Male figure � �Fishermen�s god�
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Cook Islands, Rarotonga
Late 18th/early 19th century
Wood
Height: 40.7 cm
Aquired: 1949
UEA 189The Cook Islands lie in Polynesia, 1,600 miles northeast of New Zealand. Rarotonga is the largest of these islands. This rare piece is called a �Fisherman�s god� because fishermen would have placed it on their canoe and made offerings to it to invoke success in their expeditions. Polynesian sculptors did not make �lifelike� work, rather they wanted their work to seem potent, powerful, and solid. A large phallus has unfortunately been sawn off, probably because the figure was first collected by missionaries.
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