Made in the South Pacific

Arts of the Sea People. The seafaring people of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia created a rich art heritage that lasted into the nineteenth century.

Canoes were works of art in themselves, with dazzling shell inlay and carved prows. Decoration of everyday objects delighted the people, and they produced the strikingly painted bark cloth called tapa and the elaborate body adornment called tatu.