Art & Architecture Essay Samples

In traditional Polynesia, artists make artworks to support the system of mana and tapu. Within Polynesian society, rule is hierarchical and hereditary, “imbued with spiritual power derived from the ancestors”. Due to this reverence that these individuals have for their ancestors, any objects that have been handed down gain significant value. This is due to the fact that these people place a high regard on those items that have been handed down to them from the past.
In this sense, it seems that the true value of an object cannot be obtained simply by looking at it. Instead, the history of the object is what gives it value. This is the object’s mana, or essence. “Mana is an indwelling force, like electricity, that gives an object or a person potency” Tapoo refers to the social laws or customs that are attributed to these objects and the social situation that they create.
Among the Oromo, however, artists make artwork to attract and repel the gaze. The objects that are considered important by this society are seen this way because of the status, not the history that they represent. In this way, those who can afford to wear more decorative or elaborate pieces will ultimately command more respect.
So while both cultures utilize art as a form of not only showing the differences in social classes, but also in organizing those classes into specific hierarchies. Art and crafting, therefore, inform their societies of who is who. However, the way in which this works is fundamentally different for both cultures.

References

<citations>