The Asahi Shimbun Displays: Containing the divine a sculpture of the Pacific god A’a
One of the Pacific’s most famous sculptures, this is a figure of a creator god, probably A’a, of the island of Rurutu in the Austral Islands. Its features are formed of thirty small human figures – appropriate for a god of creation. A’a was carved with a hollow head and torso covered by a panel at the back. The cavity may have been designed to hold the skull and bones of a deified ancestor.
The British Museum acknowledges contemporary cultural perspectives associated with the objects in its collection. Please note: cultural rights may apply to this object.
Full record: http://bit.ly/pacificGod and Google Cultural Institute: http://bit.ly/pacificGodAAGCI
Exhibition: http://www.britishmuseum.org/pacificgod
3D model by Thomas Flynn, Canon G7x + Agisoft Photoscan