Oceania is made up of many islands, that range in size, population and diversity of culture. These islands are characterized by a variety of different climates, from the dry deserts of Australia, to the rainforests of New Guinea. The islands that make up Oceania number to approximately 25,000, and are separated into the following:
Micronesia Melanesia Polynesia Continent of Australia The art work from these many islands and cultures is itself diverse. A factor of the diversity of these cultures is the gradual migration, and the geographical layout. The |
migration to different islands of Oceania place over a long span of time, the newest islands to be inhabited are those of Polynesia, including Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island, as early as about 500 BCE to 1000 CE; one of the last areas in the world where humans settled. The artwork, is considered to be some of the earliest datable compared to other areas in Oceania. The maoi, or monumental figural sculptures of Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, are most likely the most well-known artwork of all of Oceania. These colossal sculptures were erected to mark sacred sites of burial or religious ceremony, and were thought to have the ability to house divine spirits or gods. We have seen monumental sculpture from other cultures, namely Southeast Asia and Mesoamerica, including those of the west. Colossal sculpture comparable to the moai of Easter Island can be found in ancient Egypt, in the Giza complex. The Great Sphinx is the largest colossal sculpture in the world that was carved from a single stone. Its purpose is unclear, but there are some accounts that identify its building as a representation of the pharaoh Khafre. Despite its unknown purpose, both sites at Giza and Easter Island portray these mammoth sculptures to be representative of a source of power and might.
Interdisciplinary Lesson Plans that Include the Art of Oceania
National Geographic:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/04/g68/index.html
Education World:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson133.shtml
National Endowment for the Humanities:
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/australian-aboriginal-art-and-storytelling#sect-extending
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/04/g68/index.html
Education World:
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson133.shtml
National Endowment for the Humanities:
http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/australian-aboriginal-art-and-storytelling#sect-extending