CHAPTER 36—OCEANIA BEFORE 1980
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. How was information transmitted from one generation to next in Pacific Island societies?
a.
verbally
b.
written manuscripts
c.
calligraphy carved on boards
d.
stone carvings
2. Colonization of the Pacific Islands reached its zenith during which century?
a.
20th century
b.
16th century
c.
19th century
d.
18th century
3. Which of the following groups would not allow women entry into the ceremonial men’s house?
a.
Iatmul, Papua New Guinea
b.
Belau, Micronesia
c.
Maori, New Zealand
d.
Hawaiians, Hawaii
4. Women in Oceanic societies were active in creating which of the following?
a.
masks
b.
pottery
c.
relief carvings
d.
canoe prows
5. Aside from serving as instruments of communication, what other function did the Iatmul slit-gongs
have?
a.
They represented light musical presentations.
b.
They represented women’s instrument used in their rituals in the men’s ceremonial house.
c.
They represented voices of the ancestral spirits.
d.
They represented voices of the gods.
6. In the Iatmul ceremonial men’s house, the reenactment of the life and death cycle was performed in the
second story of the house. Which of the following describes the reenactment?
a.
ritual dance performed in the second story
b.
clan members enter and exit the second story
c.
uninitiated girls enter and exit through the front entry
d.
first wives enter and exit through the front entry
7. Abelam culture of Papua New Guinea revolves around which of the following?
a.
pigs
b.
head-hunting
c.
the sea
d.
yams
8. In Asmat society, Irian Jaya, personal energy and spiritual power can be acquired through which of the
following activities?
a.
ceremonial rituals performed in the men’s house
b.
wearing Tatanua masks
c.
yam cultivation
d.
head-hunting
9. Which of the following also describes the relatively unstratified Melanesian groups?
a.
Power is vested in groups of elder men.
b.
Power is vested in groups of warriors.
c.
Power is vested in hereditary leaders.
d.
Power is vested in hereditary persons of rank.
10. The Asmat see the human body as a tree, the feet are the roots, and the arms are the branches. Based
on this information, what would the human head symbolize?
a.
vines
b.
fruit
c.
rain
d.
earth
11. Bisj poles serve as pledges to avenge a relative’s death; many of the animal representations that
decorate the poles are related to headhunting. Which of the following animals might be represented?
a.
shark
b.
dog
c.
flying fox
d.
cat
12. The Trobriand Islanders show great skill in carving. Which of the following illustrates that skill?
a.
canoes
b.
ceremonial men’s houses
c.
yam masks
d.
door lintels
13. Malanggan refers both to the festivals to honor the deceased and which of the following?
a.
yam masks
b.
storyboards
c.
objects and carvings produced for these festivals
d.
ceremony of initiation
14. The shell-like abstract patterns found on the men’s ceremonial houses of Belau refer to which of the
following?
a.
the rooster
b.
the sun
c.
the gods
d.
shell money
15. In Oceanic societies, men derived political authority by excluding women from participating in rituals
and certain object-making endeavors. Women were rarely allowed to produce images that had
religious or spiritual powers or that conferred status on their users. Which of the following would
account for this exclusion?
a.
Men perceived the difference in the innate power of women.
b.
Traditional oral history disallowed women.
c.
The oral tradition prohibited women from participating.
d.
Only men were strong enough to work with the hard materials.
16. The Dilukai figure found on the bais of Belau serve as a reminder to women to conduct themselves
decorously. It also symbolizes another aspect of female power. Which of the following is that female
power?
a.
wantonness
b.
procreation
c.
protection
d.
civility
17. The ceremonial men’s house of the Iatmul in Papua New Guinea is associated with which of the
following?
a.
praying mantis
b.
headhunting
c.
female ancestor
d.
yam cultivation
18. New Guinea is made up of which of the following countries?
a.
Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea
b.
Bismarck Archipelago and Irian Jaya
c.
New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea
d.
Vanuatu and Irian Jaya
19. The Asmat have a rich visual vocabulary for symbols. They consider the female praying mantis to
represent which the following meanings in their art?
a.
fertility
b.
female power
c.
family
d.
head-hunting/cannibalism
20. What pottery making culture settled in western Polynesia in c. 1000 BCE?
a.
Goleta
b.
Arnhem
c.
Lapita
d.
Sepik
21. Which of the following Polynesian groups is primarily responsible for the major art form of barkcloth
making and decorating?
a.
uninitiated boys
b.
women
c.
uninitiated teenagers
d.
men
22. What is one possible explanation for the eradication of tattooing in Polynesia?
a.
practice lost favor when metal needles were introduced
b.
designs became stale
c.
practice lost favor when European sailors wanted tattoos
d.
missionary zeal worked to eradicate tattooing
23. Which date range have researchers assigned to the earliest Australian sites?
a.
3,000 or more years
b.
40,000 or more years
c.
100,00 or more years
d.
500,000 or more years
24. The Maori meetinghouse is filled with ancestors who are a very potent force. Which of the following
describes the conceptualization of the meetinghouse itself?
a.
It is the Great Goddess.
b.
It is the First Ancestor.
c.
It is body of an ancestor.
d.
It is the Great Maori.
25. Which of the following is a control mechanism used on Belau (Pelau) warning women to stay away
from the ocean and the bai?
a.
Blellek
b.
Dilukai
c.
Kuka’ilimoku
d.
Kamehameha
26. The moai serve as silent sentinels on stone platforms, which were burial sites or were used for
religious ceremonies. Based on this, which of the following would the moai depict?
a.
sacred earth
b.
the gods
c.
ancestral chiefs
d.
disembarkation sites of the ancestors
27. Storyboards (Belau) relate to which of the following?
a.
important events
b.
wars
c.
religious practices
d.
songs
28. What is mana?
a.
shell money
b.
women’s power
c.
spiritual power
d.
men’s power
29. For the Asmat head-hunting was a way of maintaining a balance of which of the following?
a.
political power
b.
family power
c.
jurisdiction
d.
spiritual power
30. Malanggan rites are mortuary festivals. Which of the following explains the purpose of these rites?
a.
To facilitate the soul’s transition from the world of the living to the realm of the dead
b.
To celebrate the birth of the chief’s first son
c.
To facilitate the construction of the men’s house
d.
To facilitate the first hunt of the season
31. Where is Arnhem Land?
a.
central Australia
b.
Hawaii
c.
Irian Jaya
d.
northern Australia
32. Figure carvings on a Maori meetinghouse represent which of the following?
a.
navigation charts
b.
real and mythological ancestors
c.
landscapes
d.
events
33. The word tattoo is of what origin?
a.
Polynesian
b.
Melanesian
c.
Micronesian
d.
Australian
34. Tatanua masks are part of the Malanggan mortuary ceremonies. Which of the following describes the
function of Tatanua masks?
a.
They represent spirits of the Great Ancestors.
b.
They represent spirits of Malanggan.
c.
They represent spirits of specific deceased people.
d.
They represent spirits of clan elders.
35. The Hevehe cycle of the Elema from Papua New Guinea reinforces the cultural and economic relations
and social structure of the community. Which of the following would be the dominant authority in the
society?
a.
warrior caste
b.
elder males
c.
elder females
d.
chieftains
36. The last islands of Oceania to be colonized (Pre-European Contact) were which of the following?
a.
Melanesia
b.
Polynesia
c.
Micronesia
d.
Australia
37. The concept of “Dream Time” is associated with the natives of which country?
a.
New Guinea
b.
Australia
c.
New Ireland
d.
Irian Jaya
e.
Polynesia
38. Dynamic forms covered with intricate curvilinear designs are most typical of which of the following
peoples?
a.
Maori
b.
Hawaiians
c.
Arnhem Land aborigines
d.
Rapa Nui people
SLIDE IDENTIFICATION
Select the response that identifies or corresponds best to the image on the screen.
39. (Figure 36-8)
a.
canoe prow and splashboard
b.
men’s house roof
c.
Maori gable
d.
Malanggan Hut
40. (Figure 36-6)
a.
Yam mask
b.
Tatanua mask
c.
Bisj pole
d.
Maori gable
41. (Figure 36-17)
a.
Auuenau
b.
God of War
c.
Hevehe masks
d.
Men’s ceremonial house, Belau
42. (Figure 36-4)
a.
Maori, New Zealand
b.
Elema, Orokolo Bay, Papua New Guinea
c.
Iatmul, Papua New Guinea
d.
Asmat, Irian Jaya
43. (Figure 36-14)
a.
Hawaii
b.
Marquesas
c.
Maori
d.
Belau
44. (Figure 36-13)
a.
Mori
b.
Hawaii
c.
Samoa
d.
Tonga
45. (Figure 36-2)
a.
New Guinea
b.
Australia
c.
New Zealand
d.
Hawaii
46. (Figure 36-3)
a.
Papua New Guinea
b.
Irian Jaya
c.
Rarotonga
d.
Hawaii
47. (Figure 36-15A)
a.
Papua New Guinea
b.
Irian Jaya
c.
Rarotonga
d.
New Zealand
48. (Figure 36-4)
a.
initiation of youth
b.
initiation of seniors
c.
initiation of females
d.
initiation of elders
49. (Figure 36-10)
a.
bisj
b.
Tatanua
c.
storyboard
d.
Malanggan
50. (Figure 36-11)
a.
Dilukai
b.
Tatanua
c.
bisj
d.
Hevehe
51. (Figure 36-2)
a.
tapa
b.
Yirrkala
c.
Asmat
d.
x-ray
52. (Figure 36-5)
a.
Malanggan Hut
b.
Maori Meeting House
c.
Ceremonial men’s house
d.
Hawaiian temple
53. (Figure 36-12)
a.
stone
b.
sennit
c.
wood
d.
yam
54. (Figure 36-13)
a.
ilukai
b.
Tatanua
c.
ngatu
d.
Hevehe
55. (Figure 36-19)
a.
Belau
b.
Marquesas
c.
Maori
d.
Hawaii
56. (Figure 36-17)
a.
Papa
b.
Tino
c.
Kot
d.
Kuka’ilimoku
57. (Figure 36-15)
a.
Asmat
b.
Maori
c.
Marquesas
d.
Hawaii
58. (Figure 36-9)
a.
Caroline Islands
b.
Irian Jaya
c.
Papua New Guinea
d.
Hawaii
59. (Figure 36-18)
a.
A’a
b.
Lono
c.
Te Hau-ki
d.
Ambum
60. (Figure 36-3)
a.
Melanesia
b.
Polynesia
c.
Hawaii
d.
New Zealand
61. (Figure 36-1)
a.
20th century
b.
18th century
c.
19th century
d.
17th century
62. (Figure 36-16)
a.
Ambum
b.
A’a
c.
Lono
d.
Te Hau-ki
SHORT ANSWER
1. What was the purpose of tattoo?
2. What does an Asmat bisj pole represent?
3. How did the Hevehe cycle assist the Elema in their society?
4. What is kula?
5. How does the praying mantis reflect Asmat figural symbolism?
6. How does the yam of the Abelam people reflect Abelam identity?
7. How did the Iatmul men’s house control the society?
8. Briefly describe Melanesian societies.
9. Who is a “Big Man” in Melanesian society?
10. The Iatmul men’s house represents what function to the community?
11. Briefly describe the people of Micronesia.
12. Briefly describe Polynesian societies.
13. How do the feather cloaks of Hawaii reflect its hierarchical society?
14. What is x-ray style and who uses it?
15. How does Dilukai (Belau, Caroline Islands) celebrate woman’s power?
16. Why is the Tatanua mask important to the Malanggan mortuary ceremonies?
17. What are storyboards and how do they relate to Belau art?
18. What did “Dream Time” mean for the Australian aborigines, and what effect did it have on their art?
19. What is the meaning of the Maori door lintel?
20. Who is Jules Sébastien César Dumont d’Urbville and how does he affect the study of Oceania?
ESSAY
1. Explain the concept of the life force in Oceanic cultures and how it affects the art forms. Use examples
to support your essay.
2. How does the Hawaiian war god, Kuka’ilimoku, reflect the political and social environment of
Hawaii?
3. Compare and contrast the Malanggan rites with the Asmat ancestor pole rites. Use examples to support
your essay.
4. Describe the development of Oceanic art in the twentieth century. How has it evolved? What effect did
the function of the objects have on the form? How do they differ from group to group, and how are
they similar? Use specific examples to support your essay.
5. Contrast the art of tattoo as a symbol designating status and rank in the Polynesian groups of the
Marquesas and the Maori. Use specific examples to support your essay.
6. Compare and contrast Asmat society with Maori society. Consider the social order within each group.
How did the visual imagery of each group reflect that social order? Use examples to support your
essay.
7. Describe the Asmat universe. How do their depictions reflect their respective society and philosophy?
How has it changed in the last half of the twentieth century? Use examples to support your essay.
8. How do Maori door lintels express their life views? Include the political and social interchange in your
essay.
9. How did the landscape of Australia affect the creative universe of the Aborigine? Use examples to
support your essay.
10. Contrast Micronesian life and art imagery with Polynesian life and art imagery. How do they reflect
their respective environments and societies? Use examples to support your essay.
OTHER
SLIDE QUESTIONS
1. What is the mystery behind this unexpected discovery?
2. Compare the thematic relevance of this statue with that of the Rarotonga staff god (Figure 36-15A).
3. What does this feather head god have in common with the Hawaiian full-length wooden gods?
4. How are these works of art related?
5. How do these works identify their respective cultures?
6. Contrast these two images; what do they represent?
7. What was the purpose of these figures?
8. How did these images represent their cultures?
9. What do these images signify?
10. How do these images differ in functionality?
11. How do these images represent power within their respective communities and cultures?
12. How do these images represent status?
13. How did these images represent their respective communities and cultures?