Ornament

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Culture Enata (Marquesan)

Title Ornament (Ivi Po'o)

Date 19th century

Medium Bone

Dimensions Object: 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm)
Overall: 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm)

Credit Line Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 2010.27

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About this Work

Unlike the stone figures from the Marquesas Islands, ivi po’o were often secular and ornamental objects. They could be used as hair ornaments or to decorate household objects.

Demonstrating the importance of material, such ornaments are made of human bone from either the body of an ancestor or enemy. The use of bones from both ancestors and enemies is seen throughout Polynesia. It was thought that the use of an ancestor’s bone was a way of gaining the ancestor’s mana, spiritual power. On the other hand, the use of an enemy’s bone was thought of as the ultimate insult.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Ornament | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2010.27