Objectives

"South Pacific" is a symbol in the West of a primitive and carefree society, a myth that seduced at least one Western artist, Gauguin. But the truth is different. One of the main conclusions that has to be drawn from your book's treatment of this area and its art is that the peoples of the Pacific cultures were extremely serious about the purposes and the power of art as well as of life. You will want to pay special attention to the recurrent motif of the power of nature and the influence of ancestors that permeates much of what is talked about in this chapter.

Goals for this chapter include:

• Adopt, at least temporarily, the suggestion in your book that you visualize the world as a map with the Pacific Ocean at its center.

• Learn the distinguishing characteristics of the four main branches of Pacific cultures: Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

• Become sensitive to the potentials of materials and techniques (such as bark cloth and featherwork) that are largely unknown in western art traditions.

• Learn to appreciate the fact that sometimes people make "serious art" with the intent to have the art disappear rather than be preserved, museum-like.