Pacific Encounters: Art & Divinity in Polynesia, 1760–1860

by Steven Hooper

Pacific Encounters brings together for the first time many stunning Polynesian objects collected by voyagers and missionaries during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Illustrated are over 270 items gathered from the major regions of Polynesia. Many are from the British Museum, which houses fine and rare material from the expeditions of Captain Cook, Captain Vancouver, and members of the London Missionary Society. Ranging from massive images of gods to small fish hooks, they are discussed in the contexts of their local use and meanings, and their journeys to museums all over the world. These pieces have remarkable stories to tell of encounters between humans and their gods, between Polynesians and Europeans, their respective chiefs and priests, beliefs, and technologies. Pacific Encounters is a groundbreaking book that conveys the wonder and excitement not only of the objects themselves, but of the fascinating Polynesian cultures that produced them.

Genres: Art

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 2006

Reviews

[Ligairi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful photographs of Pasifika artifacts. Glad to have them collected in one place. Unfortunately, the entire orientation of the book is from a colonialist perspective, and a pretty racist one at that. Maybe intentional and reflective of the author’s attitudes. Maybe just ignorant and a ghastly lack of research. I have really mixed feelings about Pacific Encounters. Its a great visual resource that I’ll use as a reference since I have it, but I do regret supporting this view of our people with my purchase.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of Polynesian artifacts and collecting, though necessarily somewhat shallow given its geographic breadth. That said, the section on the Cook Islands was strong. The book also provides an excellent description and index of many of the early collectors of Polynesian art.