Pipe Bowl (Epaepa or Pioro)

Unknown

early 19th century · Whale ivory · Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

The use of tobacco was among the first Western practices adopted widely in the Marquesas and other areas of Polynesia. By the early nineteenth century, the Marquesans had begun to create their own pipes (epaepa or pioro). The use of pipes and tobacco, like many other aspects of Marquesan culture, was governed by sacred restrictions or tapu. Men and women, for example, were not permitted to smoke together. Although in widespread use, pipes remained highly valued objects and were often passed down as heirlooms or occasionally were buried with their owners. This example is adorned with three small tiki (human images), whose poses and features closely resemble those on Marquesan ivory ear ornaments dating to the same period. Like most Marquesan tiki, the figures likely portray deified ancestors.

Artist

Unknown

Date

early 19th century

Medium

Whale ivory

Culture

Marquesan (Enata) people

Department

Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Credit line

Gift of Evelyn A. J. Hall, 1986