House Post

In the eastern Solomon Islands, canoes and other precious valuables are kept in sacred houses (aofa apuna) with pitched roofs supported by poles carved in the shape of human figures. This post once resided in the aofa in Auguena village on Santa Ana Island. The crescent shaped curve on the figure’s head would have supported the beam of the house’s roof.  Each pole is named in honor of a specific ancestor, or alludes to episodes in an important ancestral story. This ancestor is shown seated atop the post with hands resting firmly on each thigh, its angular features (hooded eyes, prominent chin, and tightly closed mouth) forming a determined expression. A shark with blunt snout and prominent fin emerges from the spine of the upright figure, whose arms reach down allowing the hands to rest firmly on each thigh. likely a manifestation of a protective deity. On Santa Ana, sharks play an important role in mediating relationships between the community and the spirit world. They are guardians of the schools of bonito fish which are a vital resource for the community, and around which ceremonial life revolves. Renowned fishermen, chiefs and leaders who have excelled in life, are believed to transform into spirit sharks upon their deaths.

The aofa is a restricted space where young male initiates are secluded during the initiation ceremonies that mark their transition into adulthood.  Alongside the canoes that are the lifeblood of the village, aofa house prestigious weapons and the sacred remains of deified ancestors whose skulls have been interred inside fish or shark shaped reliquaries (2017.734a) where they can continue to impart their knowledge and guidance to the present-day descendants.