This region includes the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and the island of New Guinea, among many others.
c. 1500 B.C.E. - present
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Tin Mweleun, Slit Gong (Atingting kon)
An ancestor's face on one of the largest instruments in the world
Chief Roi Mata’s Domain
Chief Roi Mata’s Domain consists of three early 17th century sites on Vanuatu
Gwaikwavi Wakaniambi, Yam mask or Bapamini
When decorated, the yams represent ancestral spirits called nggwal.
Ivory breastplate (civaconovono), Fiji
A breastplate of this style, known in Fijian as civaconovono, was worn as an emblem of high status for ceremonies or during battles.
The Life of Malagan
These intricate wooden carvings have confused anthropologists and confounded art historians for over a century.
Melanesia, an introduction
The small-scale societies of these islands became famous in the West for their ceremonial wooden carvings.
Malagan at the British Museum
Collected from Papua New Guinea in the 1880s, this figure would otherwise have been destroyed after its ritual use.
Bis Poles at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Master carvers produced statues like these when village leaders needed to bring their community back into balance.
Ambum Stone
This intriguing artifact has a 3,500-year history. The latest chapter? A political debate over cultural heritage.
Presentation of Fijian Mats and Tapa Cloths to Queen Elizabeth II
This photograph commemorates a historic royal visit and captures the practice of Fijian gift exchange.
Mask (Buk), Torres Strait, Mabuiag Island
Though we lack an understanding of its use or cultural context, this turtle-shell mask was certainly precious.
