AET.30 DESIGN" AEEAS IN OCEANIA KRIEGER 7 



fish, also centipedes and other figures. Tattooing is especially de- 

 veloped among the Marquesans, who tattoo the torso, face, arms, and 

 legs, the whole according to a pattern charted in advance of the 

 operation and conventionally divided into zones. 



Weaving of baskets is peculiarly lacking in Polynesia, if we except 

 the small fans and baskets not woven in twilled or twined technics 

 capable of being used as decorative aids. Even pottery making is 

 unknown to the Polynesians, as is generally the weaving of t€xtiles. 

 Adjoining Melanesian peoples, notably the Fijians, make an 

 unpainted pottery, but like the Polynesians, possess no basketry or 

 textiles. 



In discussing the distribution of decorative art designs in Poly- 

 nesia one might refer to six distinct geographical design areas as 

 showing differences in art forms and modes of application of design. 

 These are: Tonga-Samoa, New Zealand, Raratonga-Tubuai-Tahiti, 

 Manihiki, the Marquesas, and the Hawaiian Islands. 



The Tonga-Samoan area is characterized by the use of straight 

 lines, zigzags, and a derivative, namely, the dentated line. There 

 are some delineations of animals and men. The Fortuna Islands, 

 Tutuila and Rotuma, situated within the confines of Melanesia, and 

 perhaps the small archipelagos of Tokelau and EUice, appear to 

 belong to this group so far as pertains to decorative design. 



In the New Zealand area curved lines with a pronounced ten- 

 dency toward spirals show a clear relation with Fijian and Papuan 

 types of etched and painted designs. 



Stylistic art patterns in New Zealand, as in the Pacific Northwest 

 coast area, are fixed and standardized, the spiral perhaps being the 

 most recurrent device in this subarea of artistic design of which the 

 Maori are the chief representatives. Blanket robes of the Maori 

 have a broad border in colored patterns, principally black, in 

 straight lines, zigzags, and triangles, while the field is plain white. 

 This is more in harmony with other Polynesian designs. Rara- 

 tonga-Tubuai-Tahiti has for its key designs a geometrical series of 

 zigzags, semicircular and dentated lines. 



In the Manihiki area sculptures in wood are for the most part 

 unknown, but small plaques with incrustations of shell nacre ar- 

 ranged in symmetrical form are found. 



The Marquesan a/ea designs are more conventional ; among them 

 are found two types of human faces, strongly stylized. Examples 

 of this art are represented in the National Museum collection in the 

 form of carved wooden stilts and a dagger with carved figurines 

 in high relief. This latter example of Marquesan design (U. S. 

 N. M. No. 5345) was collected by Captain Aulick, U. S. Navy. 



In the Hawaiian area straight lines are decorated with nodes, or 

 in zigzags or angles. Straight lines are parallel or cross them- 



