This region includes the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and the island of New Guinea, among many others.
c. 1500 B.C.E. - present
videos + essays
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Gazellah Bruder, Goddess I Am and Feeding the Gods of Melanesia
Bruder portrays strong, resilient women that counter Euro-American stereotypical depictions of the people of Melanesia.
Nguzunguzu (canoe prow figurehead)
Adorning war canoes, nguzunguzu ensure the protection of ancestors and spirits for those undertaking treacherous ocean journeys.
Tin Mweleun, Slit Gong (Atingting kon)
An ancestor's face on one of the largest instruments in the world
Chief Roi Mata’s Domain
Chief Roi Mata’s Domain consists of three early 17th century sites on Vanuatu
Gwaikwavi Wakaaniambi, Yam mask or Bapamini
When decorated, the yams represent ancestral spirits called nggwal.
Ivory breastplate (civavonovono), Fiji
A breastplate of this style, known in Fijian as civavonovono, was worn as an emblem of high status for ceremonies or during battles.
The Life of Malagan
These intricate wooden carvings have confused anthropologists and confounded art historians for over a century.
Melanesia, an introduction
The small-scale societies of these islands became famous in the West for their ceremonial wooden carvings.
Malagan at the British Museum
Collected from Papua New Guinea in the 1880s, this figure would otherwise have been destroyed after its ritual use.
Bis Poles at The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Master carvers produced statues like these when village leaders needed to bring their community back into balance.
Ambum Stone
This intriguing artifact has a 3,500-year history. The latest chapter? A political debate over cultural heritage.
Presentation of Fijian Mats and Tapa Cloths to Queen Elizabeth II
This photograph commemorates a historic royal visit and captures the practice of Fijian gift exchange.
