Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Ritual staff (to’o)
Not on view
No exchange with the gods was possible without the presentation of sacrificial pigs. This may explain their prevalence as a motif on ritual objects such as this ceremonial staff (to’o). With their distinctive snouts pointing downward and tails raised high, they create arched crescents—a central design element of Polynesian ritual artifacts. Their sheer number reinforces that reciprocity with the gods was crucial to ritual practice and to ensuring vitality and prosperity.
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