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Arts and Crafts of the Cook Islands

Figure 229.—Wooden god (British Mus., L.M.S., 66?): total length, 812 mm.; divided into upper perforated part in three sections, lower staff part covered with sennit. a, front: upper section (1) with pointed end, curved sides, and two large openings; wood on sides and middle, perforated with spaced small holes; base width, 121 mm. and base thickness, 29 mm.; second section (2) with sides curved from narrow upper junction and four large openings as shown; five wooden limbs and base perforated wi…

Figure 229.—Wooden god (British Mus., L.M.S., 66?): total length, 812 mm.; divided into upper perforated part in three sections, lower staff part covered with sennit. a, front: upper section (1) with pointed end, curved sides, and two large openings; wood on sides and middle, perforated with spaced small holes; base width, 121 mm. and base thickness, 29 mm.; second section (2) with sides curved from narrow upper junction and four large openings as shown; five wooden limbs and base perforated with spaced small holes; bunch of split black feathers lashed to outer limb (8) on left and feather lashing devoid of feathers also on right limb (9); middle limb has mesial edge from meeting of two planes; third section (3) with straight parallel sides and two longitudinal slots with lower ends covered by sennit wrapping; transverse lashing (10) of two-ply cord across three limbs for attaching white tropic bird tail feathers. Sennit wrapping in form of cuff (4) extends downward for 205 mm. with lower part covered by a band of white bark cloth (5) covered with red and yellow parakeet feathers secured by spiral turns of fine thread; wrapped part, 56 mm. in diameter at top, 70 mm. in middle, and 56 mm. at bottom. Below wrapping, transverse turns of thick braid (6), 8 mm. wide and 5 mm. thick, extend downward for 180 mm. Remaining 60 mm. of staff covered with black bark cloth (7). b, back: sennit cuff (4) is wrapped over inner layer of longitudinal lengths of thick sennit, 8 mm. wide, which is laid against wood and thickened in middle; ends of cuff (5, 5) made to meet on back and laced together with a length of sennit passing through loops on either end of cuff; cuff gapes at upper end and shows part of the sennit inner layer (6). c, cuff technique: cuff, made separately and applied after completion, consists of longitudinal elements or warps each composed of two strands of sennit, 2.5 mm. wide, which are looped at upper ends (5) to form four elements in each, warp; below free loops (5), compound warps appear to be seized with other sennit material; weft element (6) consists of single sennit length (6) which passes around first warp (1), crosses two warps (1, 2), around second (2), across next two warps (2, 3), around third (3), and so continues to cross two warps in front and around right element of pair; above technique with one weft element constitutes wrapped technique and differs from twined work which has two weft elements. d, successive rows of wrapped work are continued for width of cuff, each succeeding row being made close to one above as shown in the six rows (1-6) until depth of cuff is reached; warps (7). e, feather work: tropic bird tail feathers (1) are decorated in front at quill end with six tiers of small red parakeet feathers (2), commencing above and ending below with transverse lashing turns (3). f, back view, showing spiral turns of thread to keep red feathers in position; quill so covered is 41 mm. long.

Figure 229.—Wooden god (British Mus., L.M.S., 66?): total length, 812 mm.; divided into upper perforated part in three sections, lower staff part covered with sennit. a, front: upper section (1) with pointed end, curved sides, and two large openings; wood on sides and middle, perforated with spaced small holes; base width, 121 mm. and base thickness, 29 mm.; second section (2) with sides curved from narrow upper junction and four large openings as shown; five wooden limbs and base perforated with spaced small holes; bunch of split black feathers lashed to outer limb (8) on left and feather lashing devoid of feathers also on right limb (9); middle limb has mesial edge from meeting of two planes; third section (3) with straight parallel sides and two longitudinal slots with lower ends covered by sennit wrapping; transverse lashing (10) of two-ply cord across three limbs for attaching white tropic bird tail feathers. Sennit wrapping in form of cuff (4) extends downward for 205 mm. with lower part covered by a band of white bark cloth (5) covered with red and yellow parakeet feathers secured by spiral turns of fine thread; wrapped part, 56 mm. in diameter at top, 70 mm. in middle, and 56 mm. at bottom. Below wrapping, transverse turns of thick braid (6), 8 mm. wide and 5 mm. thick, extend downward for 180 mm. Remaining 60 mm. of staff covered with black bark cloth (7). b, back: sennit cuff (4) is wrapped over inner layer of longitudinal lengths of thick sennit, 8 mm. wide, which is laid against wood and thickened in middle; ends of cuff (5, 5) made to meet on back and laced together with a length of sennit passing through loops on either end of cuff; cuff gapes at upper end and shows part of the sennit inner layer (6). c, cuff technique: cuff, made separately and applied after completion, consists of longitudinal elements or warps each composed of two strands of sennit, 2.5 mm. wide, which are looped at upper ends (5) to form four elements in each, warp; below free loops (5), compound warps appear to be seized with other sennit material; weft element (6) consists of single sennit length (6) which passes around first warp (1), crosses two warps (1, 2), around second (2), across next two warps (2, 3), around third (3), and so continues to cross two warps in front and around right element of pair; above technique with one weft element constitutes wrapped technique and differs from twined work which has two weft elements. d, successive rows of wrapped work are continued for width of cuff, each succeeding row being made close to one above as shown in the six rows (1-6) until depth of cuff is reached; warps (7). e, feather work: tropic bird tail feathers (1) are decorated in front at quill end with six tiers of small red parakeet feathers (2), commencing above and ending below with transverse lashing turns (3). f, back view, showing spiral turns of thread to keep red feathers in position; quill so covered is 41 mm. long.