Brooklyn Museum: Arts of Africa and the Pacific Islands: Stilt Step (Tapuva'e)

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Stilt Step (Tapuva'e)

An important aspect of male competition in the Marquesas Islands, stilt games were either group races or individual competitions in which one opponent attempted to knock the stilts out from under his rival. Oral traditions record that some performers were so skilled that they were able to turn somersaults as they tested their athletic ability. During certain religious events, however, stilt demonstrations also measured a man's spiritual strength. Stilts were composed of a step attached with ornamental lashings to a shaft between five and seven feet long.

Medium: Wood
Place Made: Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
Dates: late 18th century
Dimensions: 15 x 2 5/8 x 4 5/8 in. (38.1 x 6.7 x 11.7 cm)
Collections: Arts of Africa and the Pacific Islands
Museum Location: This item is on view in The Arts of the Pacific, 1st Floor
Accession Number: 56.6.106
Credit Line: Gift of Arturo and Paul Peralta-Ramos
Image: Overall, 56.6.106_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

Catalogue Description: Stilt, wood, upper tiki carved with arms and legs; lower carved upside down, back view, surface incised with parallel lines forming large diamonds.

Collections: Arts of Africa and the Pacific Islands: Stilt Step (Tapuva'e)