Artefacts from an Aofa

This important Sacred Canoe House Post Figure was originally from the interior of a sacred Canoe House (an aofa) that stood at Star Harbour of San Christobal Island in Eastern Solomon’s before World War II (WWII). Star Harbour is famous for its carvers, who specialised in carved house posts, and decorated canoes and food bowls.

Todd Barlin, owner and director of Oceanic Arts Australia, was told by the clan elders that this post was in the canoe house that was abandoned during WWII due to the fighting between the Japanese and the USA/Australian allies. All of the villagers moved from the coast into the interior of San Christobal to avoid the fighting.

During this time, the canoe house was destroyed by a typhoon, and when the villagers came returned to settle on the Coast after WWII, the surviving sacred carvings that were salvageable were kept.

This post figure depicts an important known ancestor, the face has deeply incised traditional tattoos of a high-ranking man, known in the local language as ‘segesege’. The figure is wearing a traditional crescent-shaped pearl shell necklace and shell cylinder ear plugs, in his left hand he is holding a lime gourd used when chewing betel nut and in his right hand he is holding his phallus, this relates to the genealogy of the clans.

The English term ‘canoe house’ does not signify the importance of this ceremonial structure. known as an ‘aofa’. The building housed, not only the important canoes that were kept inside its walls, but also the bones of important clan members were placed in carved bowls and fish-shaped coffins. This was the place where the ancestors were consulted in all important manners.

This is a contemporary artwork of a fish coffin is from Santa Catalina Island, and is of great merit for its elegant form and fine shell work. Though not used as a coffin, it shows the skill of the artists from this area. The resurgence of interest in Solomon Island cultural material has spurred the revival of making these and similar objects once more.

Houses (aofa) vary from dwelling houses in that often they are separate buildings for men and women that hold sacred objects, and where rituals are performed.
Some of the most substantial were vast canoe houses such as the aofa of Santa Ana. These sheltered special canoes for long-distance voyaging and had elaborately carved posts. Boys lived in and were initiated at these aofa to ready them for bonito fishing.

This remarkable pair of ancestor figures had been given by the US Navy to the Denver Fine Art Museum in 1949. These were collected by the US Navy during WWII, in the Solomons, and brought back to the USA. The department of the Navy decided they should be given to The Denver Fine Art Museum, where they were kept until the items were deaccessioned.

These figures are from either the Star Harbour Area of Stan Christobal Island or the close by small Islands of Santa Ana and Santa Catalina Islands. All of these areas are connected by language and culture.

The figures were kept in the Sacred Canoe Houses that held all the important ceremonial objects including the chief’s bone coffins in the shapes of sharks as well as important feasts and ancestor offering bowls.

During the intense fighting between the USA and allies against the Japanese Army, most of the native people fled to the interior of San Christobal, where they felt safe from the brutality of the Japanese and the fighting. The Sacred Canoe Houses were abandoned until after the Japanese had been defeated and the people felt safe to go back to their villages. It is unknown how the US Navy acquired these figures (perhaps they were gifts from the local people in deep gratitude for getting rid of the Japanese?).

This pair of ancestor figures are extremely rare as much of what existed in this area prior to WWII was destroyed during the conflict. After WWII, the culture had been changed profoundly by these events.

William Davenport did field studies in this area since 1958 and for 13 months during 1965 -1966. He had commissioned artworks from the older men, and these artworks are well documented in the Penn State University Museum.

One of the figures of a legendary deity Karopungi, by the artist Tigoana, made at this time was later owned by Todd Barlin and sold to The National Gallery of Australia in 2008. This pair of figures is one generation older than the figure by Tigoana now at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra.

A couple of interesting points about this pair of ancestor figures:

• The male figure is shorter and this may allude to the fact that it is a matrilineal society and women are the hereditary paramount chiefs in the Star Harbour area.
• The male figure looks as if in intense prayer with his hands held before the chest and an open mouth, while the female figure is more rigid with the hands held at the side, her stomach, chest & face has intricate incised tattoos that are typical for the Star Harbour area.
• It is possible that with further research, one could find out the village and carver of these figures because the rights to make certain images are passed down through the generations.

Silentworld Foundation would like to thank Todd Barlin, Director of Oceanic Arts Australia for the photographs he provided with the objects purchased for our collection and acknowledge the field research he conducted in acquiring these objects in the Solomon Islands.