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Letter to the Editor

Mitive "Idols"

Re Just

[?]Al Aids

H. A. Lindsay, who collabora ith Norman B. Tindale, to “Rangatira”, (reviewed in in August), says that he is ointed in us over a caption illustration in the same issue. 77). We called the carved i figure, part of a collection ted to Chicago Natural / Museum by Captain and 4. W. F. Fuller, a “carved of an early Tongan Goddess”, ns that we shouldn’t, think, however, that Mr. y is a hit hard on us. “PlM’s” had nothing whatever to Dout who worshipped what, he caption referring to a i image of an early Tongan s” was supplied with the

:l photograph from the

0 Natural History Museum, TM’s” San Francisco corre nt, Ralph Craib. But what ndsay has to say about idols 1 of interest: expects mistakes of this kind periodicals which put isationalism before facts, but l a magazine which speaks voice of authority on Pacific The misconception that all representations of the human are “heathen idols” has been sible for a tragic destruction eplacable ethnological speci inyone with even a nodding ntance with anthropology it is the civilised peoples fashion statues and paint ed portraits of those whom worship or revere. The Greeks commissioned their leading )rs to fashion representations gods and goddesses of their ion—but those marble and i statues were not worshipped, ir purpose was to have in a ‘ a tangible representation of ig who was believed to have over human lives and ies. Today, some Christian still find this an advantage— "atholifcs do not worship a of the Madonna with the , Christ in her arms. It 7 aids the mind of the ippsr to form a mental e. cvould be just as absurd to that a statue of that great nitarian, St. Vincent de Paul, Ing in the grounds of an nage, is there to be lipped! But it does remind s, of any denomination, that

he devoted his life to the service of others.

Burnt Up Priceless Carvings

In the case of the Polynesians, however, they made no such repre sentations of lo the Parentless, or goddesses 1 ° £ lBSSer g ° dS and 8 Unfortunately, early-day missionaries did not realise this and they made converts to Christianity burn all wooden carvings of figures, So thousands of canoe figureheads, door posts and other works of art went into bonfires.

As a result, the only examples of Polynesian statuary from many Pacific islands which have survived are those which some missionaries sent home, labelled “idols”, to aid in raising funds for their work!

The notable exception occurred in New Zealand. That enigmatical figure, the Rev. Samuel Marsden, exhibited a most un-Christian lack of charity when he sat on the bench as a magistrate. Then he would

order a flogging of 50 lashes for an offence which would bring a small fine today. But when he set out to convert the Maori people to dS S a great and nmitutn^rnrvfnH? 8 decorated the Maori villages as

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craftsmen had § snenf skflfuMabour Thanks to Marsdan* there was no senseless of Poknesian ar? S New ™ynesian art. in New Zealand.

This point is still important, for only a few years ago one misguided missionary in New Guinea had to be told very plainly that he must order natives to burn their dancing masks, under the entirely incorrect belief that they were worshipped. Museums could also more to correct this old fallacy.

Every case displaying carved figures should carry a large and prominent label stating that none of the images were ever worshipped.