A Fine Old Fijian Turtle Form Kava Bowl Lau Islands Fiji Polynesia

A Fine Old Fijian Turtle Form Kava Bowl Lau Islands Fiji Polynesia

This elegant Turtle form Kava Bowl is known as darivonu, which was used for the consumption of kava, or yaqona. Carved from a single piece of hardwood the head looks just like a green Sea Turtle with the front & back flippers of the turtle made up of the rim of the bowl, the bowl is supported by four rounded legs.

This bowl was used for the mixing of Kava Root the psychoactive beverage made from the stems and roots of the pepper bush Piper Methysticum and mixed with water.

In the past, most Polynesian societies were governed by hereditary chiefs, and chiefs remain highly influential in many Polynesian cultures today. Often, they are believed to be more directly descended from the gods than commoners, who constitute the majority of the population. Chiefs hold, or held, both sacred and secular authority. Many of Polynesia’s most refined decorative art forms were dedicated to marking the status and enriching the lives of chiefs. These include a diversity of jewellery, garments, weapons, and personal accessories. In many areas, necklaces or chest ornaments made from ivory or other precious materials served as insignia of chiefly rank. Almost all of the important objects had individual names and histories. Passed down as heirlooms, many were, and still are, regarded as living entities, infused with the supernatural power (mana) of the generations of ancestors who have owned them.

\Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of Polynesian Oceanic Art

See my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY  showing the Museums and Art Galleries Exhibitions that I provided artworks for over the past 40 years. There is the link to the article about my artworks published in the prestigious Louvre Magazine in 1996

I have artwork for Museums and art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery. I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specializes in New Guinea and Oceanic Art.  Sydney is very close to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbors.

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