Notes

First published earlier in 2006 by The British Museum Press "Published to accompany the exhibition Pacific encounters : art and divinity in Polynesia 1760-1860"--T.p. verso Includes bibliographical references (p. [275]-283) and index 1. Encountering Polynesia -- 2. Polynesian Encounters -- 3. Collecting Polynesia - CATALOGUE. Introduction -- The Hawaiian Islands -- New Zealand / Aotearoa -- Easter Island / Rapa Nui -- The Marquesas Islands -- Mangareva and Tuamotu Islands -- The Society Islands -- The Austral Islands -- The Cook Islands -- Western Polynesia "Pacific Encounters brings together for the first time many stunning Polynesian objects collected by voyagers and missionaries during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries." "Illustrated are over 270 items gathered from the major regions of Polynesia. Many are from the British Museum, which houses fine and rare material from the expeditions of Captain Cook, Captain Vancouver and members of the London Missionary Society. Ranging from massive images of gods to small fish hooks, they are discussed in the contexts of their local use and meanings, and their journeys to museums all over the world. These pieces have remarkable stories to tell of encounters between humans and their gods, between Polynesians and Europeans, their respective chiefs and priests, beliefs and technologies."--BOOK JACKET