Figurine (Hikule'o)

This is a small whale bone figurine of Hikule'o – a Tongan diety. Although depicted here as a female, the sex of Hikule’o is a point of debate among scholars of Tongan history. This figure was made in the early 1990s. The whale bone was sourced from the refuse of whaling near Ha'apai some 30-50 years earlier, when the meat was removed from the captured whale and the skeleton thrown overboard. In 1993, Tongan craftsmen were diving for the whale bone remains and using it for carving.

Significance

This figurine was made by well-established Tongan carver Sitiveni Fehoko from Ha’ano, Ha’apai in Tonga. It is an example of the type of products made for the tourist market in the 1990s. Fehoko is a descendant of the Lemaki clan who are historically renowned as skilled woodcarvers and builders. In the last decades of the 20th century, Fehoko owned a workshop in Tonga’s capital city of Nuku’alofa where he sold sculptures and carvings locally and for overseas markets.

Acquisition history

This figurine was purchased by anthropologist Nancy Pollock on the museum's behalf, during Silver Jubilee celebrations in Tonga.