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Figure

9th–11th century (?)
Not on view
This enigmatic head and torso is one of a group of eleven stone figures discovered in 1894 on Necker Island, a barren outcrop of rock 300 miles northwest of the Hawai'ian islands. Necker was once inhabited by Polynesian settlers who built temple platforms and carved stone figures from the local basaltic rock, but the island was abandoned several centuries prior to European contact. Therefore, the precise identity and function of the Necker Island figures, which may date from about A.D.1000, is unknown. Because they were found in association with temple platforms, it is likely that the figures are images of gods or deified ancestors that were used during religious ceremonies.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Figure
  • Date: 9th–11th century (?)
  • Geography: United States, Mokumanamana (Necker) Island, Marae 12, Hawai'i
  • Culture: Hawai'i
  • Medium: Vesicular basalt
  • Dimensions: H. 8 1/2 × W. 6 1/8 × D. 3 1/2 in. (21.6 × 15.6 × 8.9 cm)
  • Classification: Stone-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1976
  • Object Number: 1976.194
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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