tahiri ra’a (Whisk)
About this object
History of use
Tahiri ra’a, or fly whisk, such as this one would have served as a symbol of rank.
Narrative
This was once owned by Reverend John Williams, a missionary in the South Pacific from 1816 until he was killed on the shores of Erromango, Vanuatu, on November 20, 1939. One of Williams’s Canadian descendants donated the tahiri ra’a to the museum in 2006. A reconciliation ceremony between the people of Erromango and the descendants of John Williams was held in Erromango on November 20, 2009, the 170th anniversary of Williams’s death.
Iconographic meaning
The two figures on top of the whisk, seated back to back with their hands over their abdomens, could be of some genealogical significance or are perhaps representations of deities or other supernatural beings.
Physical description
Whisk with a dark wooden handle wrapped in some areas with woven, light coloured grass in a geometric lozenge-patterned design. Whisk parts (parts b-e) are a braided dark plant fibre and are detached from the shaft. Handle has carved band around it at its end. The whisk has fourteen disc-like nodules connected to a carved section that has four "legs".
Date Made
Before 1840
Date Acquired
26 May 2006
How Acquired
Donated
Credit Line
Collection of the missionary Reverend John WilliamsMore...
Measurements
Part a: 3.3 cm x 37.5 cm x 2.9 cm
Object Number
2670/5 a-e