Sculptpedia Statues, Busts and Sculptures Park sculptures and installations Ancient World & Antiquity Middle Ages & Renaissance Marble & Other Stones Bronze & Other Metals

Statue of A'a from Rurutu

The statue of A'a is a wooden sculpture from Rurutu in the Australes archipelago, representing the deity A'a. It was probably made between 1591 and 1647, while the earliest traceable mention dates to 1821. Around that time, islanders gave the sculpture to missionaries of the LMS to mark their conversion to Christianity. It was then sent to London, where it was displayed first at the LMS museum and later at the British Museum. Since 2023, it has been loaned and exhibited at the Museum of Tahiti and the Islands in Punaauia. The work is regarded as one of the finest Polynesian sculptures to have survived, and has been admired by artists such as Picasso and Henry Moore.

Carved wooden figure of A\'a covered with small raised figures
The wooden figure of A\'a, a carved Polynesian sculpture covered in intricate raised figures.
July 2007 © · CC BY 2.0
A standing wooden A\'a figure covered with many small carved humanoid figures, with a hollow cavity visible down the back.
A\'a wooden figure covered in carved miniature figures, showing the hollow cavity along the back.
1910 © · No restrictions
A\'a, a carved Polynesian wooden idol covered with many small figures and abstract motifs, with a large round head and draped lower section.
A\'a, the Polynesian wooden idol, shown with its surface densely carved with smaller figures and decorative details.
© Unknown authorUnknown author · Public domain
A\'a, a tall segmented wooden figure, displayed in a museum room.
A\'a on display in a museum interior, shown as a tall cylindrical carved figure.
June 1859 © Illustrated London News · CC BY 3.0
Black-and-white line drawing of the A\'a sculpture, an upright figure with a rounded head and a body covered in small human-like figures.
A\'a shown as an upright carved figure covered with numerous smaller human-like forms.
August 2012 © · Public domain

Identification

TitleStatue of A'a from Rurutu
TypeWooden anthropomorphic statue
Subjectthe Polynesian god A'a
Original language nameA'a statue of the god A'a, in reo rurutu

Historical context

Cultural originPolynesian
Place of originRurutu, Austral Islands, French Polynesia
Date of creationProbably between 1591 and 1647; radiocarbon dating in 2015 also suggested possibly as early as 1505
Religious-historical contextThe statue was presented as a sign of conversion to Christianity after the islanders converted

Creator

Attributed maker in oral traditionAmaiterai
Alternative maker identificationAmaiterai may have been Omai, possibly a corruption of 'Omaiterai' ('Omai the Great')
Maker traditionAccording to Rurutuan tradition, Amaiterai had visited London and encountered the Christian god there

Discovery and provenance

Date of transfer to London1822
Current locationMuseum of Tahiti and the Islands, Punaauia, French Polynesia (on loan from the British Museum since 2023 for three years)
Museum historyHeld first in the London Missionary Society museum, then lent to the British Museum in 1890, and acquired by the British Museum in 1911
Destination after transferLondon
First recorded eventPresented to missionaries of the London Missionary Society (LMS)
RecipientThe London Missionary Society (LMS) missionaries at Raiatea
DonorThe islanders of Rurutu
Reason for presentationAs a symbol of the islanders' conversion to Christianity
First recorded placeRaiatea, French Polynesia
First recorded mention9 August 1821

Physical characteristics

ConditionLower legs, right buttock, and left arm are damaged; the penis is completely broken off
Surface decorationThirty smaller figures are carved in high relief over the surface
Damage causeMost other damage may be due to deterioration over time; the removal of the penis appears to have been deliberate
Mutilation agentUnknown; possibly British missionaries or Polynesian converts
BaseNo base; it is unknown whether it originally had one
LegsSeparated and slightly bent
ArmsPlaced on the abdomen and carved in high relief
FormHollow figure with a removable rear panel for access to the interior
Dimensions117 cm high; 36 cm wide
FeetNo feet

Materials

Main materialWood, probably sandalwood (most likely Santalum insulare); Rurutu tradition identifies it as pua keni keni wood (Fagraea berteriana)

Technique

Construction toolsProbably stone-bladed tools; iron tools may also have been used if parts were made after European arrival in Polynesia in the 1760s
Finishing materialsSharkskin or stingray skin scrapers, breadfruit leaves, cowrie shells, and coconut oil

Iconography and meaning

Interior statuettes accountJohn Williams said there were 24 statuettes inside; Rurutu oral tradition says there were three representing the Trinity; another version adds 39 other tiki figures representing the island's clans
Interpretation of red featherIt may support the statue's sacred importance, since red feather color was associated with the sacred in Polynesia
2015 interior findA red feather was found inside the statue and identified as coming from a Kuhl's lorikeet
Fate of interior statuettesThe statuettes disappeared, probably destroyed in 1822
Original purpose of cavityThe cavity's real or original purpose remains debated
Interior functionThe cavity appears to have served as a receptacle for small statuettes of 'little gods' (tikis)
Lower abdomen asymmetryAn upright figure is on the right side and a spread-limbed figure on the left; it is unclear whether this asymmetry was deliberate
Distribution of smaller figuresThey are symmetrically distributed across the statue except for the lower abdomen
Possible meaning of stylesThe two styles may represent masculine and feminine forms respectively
Smaller-figure stylesTwo distinct styles: 16 upright figures with arms across the torso, and 14 spread-limbed figures with arms and legs outstretched
Figure arrangementMany smaller figures mark human features such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, while others do not obviously correspond to any human feature

Location and ownership

Recent loanIn 2023 the British Museum loaned the statue to the Musée de Tahiti et des Îles for three years
Current display statusNot currently on display
Exhibition historyExhibited in London and later internationally, including in New York, Canberra, and Paris
Former institutional associationLondon Missionary Society museum collection
Institutional ownershipBritish Museum

Significance

ReputationConsidered one of the finest surviving examples of Polynesian sculpture
Modern assessmentJulie Adams described it as an 'international celebrity' in the 21st century
Academic recognitionRecognized for its singularity and the finesse of its execution
Artistic influenceAdmired by artists such as Picasso and Henry Moore, who found it a source of inspiration
Historical interpretationSome accounts describe it as a Christianized reinterpretation of history, with the Trinity reading used to deny outside conversion and rehabilitate a condemned pre-Christian past
Preservation narrativeIt was spared destruction because it belonged to the king, who wanted to remind the people of the search for the 'word of wisdom' and their former disbelief