Subject: toa war chief
Culture: Marquesan
Setting: tribal warfare, Marquesas Islands early-mid 19thc
Object: ornaments
Brooklyn Museum > Art of the Pacific Islands *
"Fan (Tahi'i) Marquesas Islands, 19th century Plant fiber and wood" ...
"Fan Handle Marquesas Islands, late 18th or early 19th century Wood ...
High-ranking men and women used fans with elaborately carved handles as symbols of status.
The complete fan incorporates in its handle a working pipe intended for show rather than use.
After European voyagers introduced it in the eighteenth century, tobacco quickly acquired a place in Marquesan culture."
