While all the pieces of work between the African and Oceanic Cultures' art are interesting and can be
compared, two specific ones stuck out to me. The first two would be Stela (tall monuments) in the
Ethiopian town of Aksum and Moai statues from the Rapa Nui people, an Oceanic culture. These two
art works are most similar in the sense that they are carved stones. The other two pieces I chose are
the Caryatid Veranda Post from from the Yoruba people in Nigeria and the Moai Tangata from the
Rapa Nui culture as well. The Most obvious comparison between the two would be the fact that they
are both tribute pieces with a lot of significance in their meaning. All the four pieces meant a lot to
their cultures in rather spiritual ways yet they are all different as well. The Stela and Moai pieces
differ in their height, as most Moai statues only stand about 13 feet high, whereas the tallest standing
stella is about 75 feet. The Caryatid Veranda post and Moai Tanagta also differ, most apparently in
the fact that one just shows a man and the other shows a man and a woman. The most important piece
of information to be looked into regarding these pieces, is the difference or similarities between their
spiritual meanings and connection between each of the pieces and their cultures.
The Aksumite stelae were originally regarded as religious monuments(Fattovich).
These monoliths were seen to indicate generically cemeterial area and in some cases were
connected to offering rituals. They were built by carving local granite stones and erected
using earth steeps. The carvings on the surface of the monoliths were devoid of writings and
only geometric shapes were mostly inscribed. Some also had portraits of dead people who
entombed in them engraved. The general construction was rectangular at the base with a
pyramid shape ate the top. The towering heights of the monoliths were seen as the connection
for the living to the afterlife.
Just like the Aksumite steale, the Moai statues were primarily used as burial
sites(Google Arts & Culture). When considering the construction, the Moai statues were half
humanoid carvings made from stone which is different from the Aksumite steale. Each
monolith was curved to commemorate an important ancestor. The Moai statues stood back to
the sea which signified that the ancestors were watching over the island. Some of the eye
sockets were originally inlaid with red stone and coral. The Moai statues were also believed
to transmit power to a living tribal chief. It was believed that the dead provided the living
with the necessities of life while offering the living gave the dead a better place in the
spiritual world.
As we can see in both the Aksumite and Rapa Nui culture spiritualism played a
central role in their belief system. A projection of one’s self into objects that were seen to be
long-lasting such as the monolithic statues carved in stones was mirrored between the two
cultures. The idea of a spiritual plane where the dead found rest was also adopted and
connected to the offerings made to the statues. The belief in a God was also adopted as a way
to offer solace on the phenomenon that they could not predict such as weather patterns and
death is seen between the two cultures. These statues are important for both the Rapa Nui and
the Aksumite people as a bridge between the living and the non-living.
The Caryatid veranda post carving was a two-layered composition that signifies a
formal dynamism(Opoko et al.). These wood carvings were placed at the veranda of the
king’s palace for a symbolic purpose. The first is that the power of a Yoruba king was not in
his stature but from the mystical power derived from the royal ancestors. These powers reside
in the crown which dominates the composition. Repeating textured band, ancestral faces and
enormous bird whose beak touches the crown just above the central ancestral face, focus our
attention to the crown whose carefully textured surface contrasts with the more plainly curve
form of the king. The second concept was the power of a woman.
The imposing bird atop the crown concedes that the king relies upon forces controlled
by women. The large physical figure of the queen also alludes to this dynamism. These
carving focused on symbolism as a way to tell on the structure of life of the Yoruba
community.
The Moai Tangata wood carvings were considered as depictions of deceased loved
ones immortalized at the peak of their beauty(Gandur). These carvings unlike the Caryatid
consisted of a naked male carved body. Their heads were made out to be bulging with a more
protruding stomach indicating that the person was from a wealthy family. Little is known on
the ceremonial purpose a part from indicating the untimely death of a loved one.
Whereas the use of symbolism is heavily applied with the Caryatid carvings, the Moai
Tangata carvings are seen as direct representation of a tragedy. The Caryatid engravings were
layered to allow the artist describe how the society was structured. The Moai Tangata
carvings was likely used as a way to capture daily occurrence as a lesson to everyone. While
the Caryatid were commissioned by the King of Yoruba, The Moai Tangata carvings served a
ceremonial purpose in the society. The deliberate representation of both a man and a woman
in the Caryatid carvings clearly shows the role and the perceptions of men and women in the
society.
From the four art pieces across the Yoruba, Rapa Nui and Askumite cultures, a lot can
be inferred on their culture and practises. The need to have a connection between the living
and the dead serves as a way of bonding generations in the society. The sense of a shared
ancestry also helps in passing down their rituals to future generations. The presence of this
artefacts acted as physical connections through which the people could make offerings and
communicate with both God and appease the dead. These artefacts can also be seen as a way
of preserving and retelling the history of the society through imagery and markings which can
be found on the surface of the monoliths and the shape of the objects. The structure and
hierarchy of the society was also important since only images of chiefs and high ranking
people were carved on these monuments. Regardless of the distance separating these
communities, a shared sense of life, death and afterlife is seen, though through different
lenses, they act as fundamental building blocks
References
Fattovich, Rodolfo. “Some Remarks on the Origins of the Aksumite Stelae.” Annales
d’Ethiopie, vol. 14, no. 1, PERSEE Program, 1987, pp. 43–69,
doi:10.3406/ethio.1987.931.
Gandur, Fondation. Moai Tangata Rapa Nui, Early 19. no. May, 2019, pp. 1–11.
Opoko, Akunnaya Pearl, et al. Influences on Artistic Expression in Traditional Domestic
Architecture of South Influences on Artistic Expression in Traditional Domestic
Architecture Of. no. May, 2016.
What Do the Moai Statues Represent? — Google Arts & Culture.
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/what-do-the-moai-statues-represent-cyark/AWBPCaK6uRobA?hl=en. Accessed 12 Mar. 2021.
Fattovich, Rodolfo. “Some Remarks on the Origins of the Aksumite Stelae.” Annales
d’Ethiopie, vol. 14, no. 1, PERSEE Program, 1987, pp. 43–69,
doi:10.3406/ethio.1987.931.
Gandur, Fondation. Moai Tangata Rapa Nui, Early 19. no. May, 2019, pp. 1–11.
Opoko, Akunnaya Pearl, et al. Influences on Artistic Expression in Traditional Domestic
Architecture of South Influences on Artistic Expression in Traditional Domestic
Architecture Of. no. May, 2016.
What Do the Moai Statues Represent? — Google Arts & Culture.
https://artsandculture.google.com/story/what-do-the-moai-statues-represent-cyark/AWBPCaK6uRobA?hl=en. Accessed 12 Mar. 2021.