This paper is a considerably revised version of the 1992 British Museum Occasional Paper No. 73 by the same author. The book describes how, when and by whom Hoa Hakanai'a was collected. It also reconstructs the underlying Rapanui aesthetic and social structure that produced Hoa Hakanai'a , and which has been obscured by time and historic accident.
Author Biography
by Jo Anne van Tilburg, with drawings by C A Pakarati
Reviews
This book is an aesthetically pleasing account that provides significant insights into the Rapa Nui social and ideological structure, and how art objects like Hoa Hakananai a symbolised this complex ideological system. --Mara Mulrooney "The Journal of the Polynesian Society, 2007 ""
