Oceanic Art

Covering a wide geographical area, Oceanic art is art of the native peoples of
Australia and the South Pacific islands, including New Guinea and New Zealand.
Oceanic art is extremely diverse in style and technique. Artifacts were not considered
“art” by their creators, but were an integral part of the religious and social ceremony
of everyday island life. Art objects include ancestor figures, canoe-prow ornaments,
ceremonial shields, masks, stone carvings, decorated human skulls, pottery, and
stools. Fertility is a recurrent theme, along with occasional references to headhunting
and ritual cannibalism. Most Oceanic arts are considered primitive in that until
recently the indigenous cultures possessed no metal, and cutting tools were of stone
or shell.