Polynesia

Polynesia (which means "many islands") is one of the three major categories created by Westerners to refer to the islands of the South Pacific.

c. 1200 B.C.E. - present

videos + essays

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Ahilapalapa Rands, <em>Lift Off</em>
Ahilapalapa Rands, Lift Off

In an imaginative 3-minute film, Rands envisions the sacred Hawaiian summit Maunakea free of telescopes.

Pōhaku kuʻi ʻai, otherwise known as the poi pounder
Pōhaku kuʻi ʻai, otherwise known as the poi pounder

The pōhaku kuʻi ʻai has become an important symbol of Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Native Hawaiian) life and culture.

<em>Ola Ka Wai, Ola Ka Honua</em>: sovereign flows on and off the wall
Ola Ka Wai, Ola Ka Honua: sovereign flows on and off the wall

In its call to collective engagement, the mural opens space for the viewing public to be transformed in profound and lasting ways.

Fatu Feuʻu, <em>Faʻaola Mo Taeao Conserve for Tomorrow</em>
Fatu Feuʻu, Faʻaola Mo Taeao Conserve for Tomorrow

Feuʻu's work embodies the values of Faʻa Sāmoa (the Samoan way): reverence, compassion, and service.

Kapulani Landgraf, <em>ʻAuʻa</em>
Kapulani Landgraf, ʻAuʻa

Landgraf's works urge viewers to open their hearts to the histories of Hawaiian struggles and the efforts of the Hawaiian sovereignty movement.

ʻIolani Palace, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
ʻIolani Palace, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi

King Kalākaua built ʻIolani Palace both as an authentically modern and traditional Hawaiian symbol of the prospering Hawaiian Kingdom.

William F. Cogswell, <em>Queen Liliʻuokalani</em>, and Maria Kealaulaokalani Lane Ena, ʻAhu ʻula (The Kalākaua Cape)
William F. Cogswell, Queen Liliʻuokalani, and Maria Kealaulaokalani Lane Ena, ʻAhu ʻula (The Kalākaua Cape)

This royal portrait and cape convey the power of the Hawaiian monarchy and the tensions around the momentous historical events of 1898.

Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Moai
Rapa Nui (Easter Island) Moai

Carved of dense volcanic rock, the moai tower over the viewer.

Bark cloth from Wallis and Futuna
Bark cloth from Wallis and Futuna

Hand-drawn patterns fill the surface of these textiles made from bark from the Pacific islands of Wallis and Futuna.

Queen Liliʻuokalani’s accession photograph
Queen Liliʻuokalani’s accession photograph

This photograph of Liliʻuokalani was tied to Hawaiʻi’s international relations, representing the monarchy’s sovereign right to rule for local and global audiences.

Hawaiian featherworks
Hawaiian featherworks

Hawaiian featherworks required great skill and time to make.

Temple figure of war god Ku-ka’ili-moku
Temple figure of war god Ku-ka’ili-moku

Ku-ka’ili-moko, one of the manifestations of Ku, is the Hawaiian god of war, and this one was made for and erected by King Kamehameha I at the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth century.

Selected Contributors