Object history of the Iuhi

History of Iuhi

Out of the thousands of items from the Fuller collection, one interesting item is the Iuhi. Amongst the Rapanui people of Easter Island, tattooing is an important aspect of art culture. Fuller collected 2 of these Iuhi, which are tattoo needles used for tattooing.

Production and Application

These needles are made from bone and resemble a small comb with sharp and skinny prongs. The bones come from birds, fish or hen. The other end has two grooves so that a rod can be attached to the end, which probably helps the artist maneuver the needles during the tattoo process. The rod attachment is not included with the Iuhi needles from the collection. Tattoos are applied with the needle combs and a wooden mallet called miro pua ‘uhi. A picture depicts a man getting a tattoo on his face that shows the mallet being used to hammer the needles into the skin, so that the ink can be deposited into a deeper layer of skin. The ink used was natural and made from burnt ti leaves. Ti leaves are from cordyline terminalis a plant from the asparagus family.

Symbolism

There are several tattoo patterns and figures mentioned in the research. One woman had an ‘ao, which is a ceremonial paddle, tattooed on her back. Fischer also mentions an old woman with a paddle on her back, but calls it a rapa, which is a dance paddle that was tattooed when she lost her virginity. For her, the paddle reminded her of her first lover. A German marine who visited the island told of “birds and strange beasts” tattoos. Most men and women were covered from head to toe with different patterns and images. The tattoos also varied by rank and status. Priests usually had more tattoos to distinguish themselves from the rest, while men and women had tattoos that distinguished their class identity from others.

Spiritually, tattoos were important because they were considered a gateway to divine strength. Other images included those that represented gods and other spiritual messages.

Acquisition

The particular Iuhi collected by captain Fuller was acquired from his longtime trading partner Percy Edmunds. Edmunds was a photographer who actually visited Polynesia and Easter Island. He and Fuller were very close and he told him stories of Rapanui people and their tattoos. These stories fascinated Fuller and intrigued him to collect the Iuhi. Edmunds was one of Fuller’s main connection to Rapa Nui. Emunds spoke Spanish and was able to communicate with the people of Papa Nui, and because of his friendly relationship he was able to acquire many items.

Pathway to the Field Museum

From there, the Iuhi was purchased or given to Fuller, who kept it safe and in mint condition as a part of his collection. These items are now either on display at the Field museum or stored somewhere in the Museum. It has shifted from a functional use to create tattoos, to a more artistic use when it was collected by Edmunds, Fuller, and then the Field Museum. These collectors are no longer using the needle comb to make tattoos. Now it is in the hands of an institution where people go to view items of old worlds and cultures. These items are used to satisfy the curiosity of museum goers that may wonder what Polynesian populations used to tattoo themselves and why they adorned their bodies with these images. With this information they are also able to view real Iuhi that were used by real Rapa Nui people. This gives the story and the item an authentic feel.

Captain A. W. F. Fuller

Captain Alfred Walter Francis Fuller was a British ethnographic collector. Throughout his life he acquired an extensive collection of Polynesian artifacts. The Iuhi, along with about 6,884 other artifacts, was purchased by the Field Museum from the Fullers. Additionally, about 300 more items would be donated to the museum by Fuller’s wife at a later time. This collection was formed over 62 years of Fullers lifetime when he was constantly purchasing and trading items in Britain. His collection was created during an era when Great Britain and Polynesia had a relationship that allowed the import of many Polynesian artifacts. Although Fuller never visited Polynesia, he acquired his items through purchase and gifts. For instance, sale in private homes, sale of museum inventories, auctions, and the shops of dealers are all places where he was able to purchase Polynesian objects. Sometimes he would trade an item that did not fit into his collection as well as the object that he was trading for. Additionally, events such as the missionary movements of London missionary and Melanesian missionary societies brought in many artifacts from the Polynesian world. Other items were acquired from the private collections of other military officials. He could also find amazing items in antique shops and he would be very excited if he found something that was worth a lot, but he paid a little for it because the shop owner did not understand the value of the object. From the adventures of missionaries and the army, various objects were brought back to Britain. The items he acquired included numerous variations of the same object that exemplified technological advancement. He compared and studied each object and he wanted as complete of a picture of the item as possible. Fuller was dedicated to collecting these items, but he never visited Polynesia. He was what one would call an armchair anthropologist because he never actually visited the sites, but acquired items that were so useful to the knowledge of Polynesian culture. In his older years he announced that he was looking for a museum or similar institution to house the collection. He was put into contact with the Field Museum officials through a friend, and in the 1950s he sold the collection. He was initially against selling the items, but eventually agreed upon a price, 40,000 pounds (today that would be about 834,600 pounds), that he felt would do well for his daughter after he passed on. In addition to acquisition of the collection the museum agreed to not split up the collection. Fuller wanted scientists to have as complete of a picture as possible for study and the acquisition of knowledge of old Polynesian societies. When the negotiations of price were being made, Fuller talked with Roland W. Force, a museum representative, and told the stories of how he acquired each item, the date, and any story that went along with the item. He also told what he could on its origins and how it was acquired. The archived recordings of their conversations are available through the museum.