Indigenous and ancestral art adapted under colonial pressure, maintaining cultural identity through symbolism, ritual, and traditional building practices.

Indigenous Art Of Ocenia

c. 3000 BCE–present

Art from Oceania includes works from Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. It is closely tied to mythology, genealogy, and ritual life. Materials such as wood, stone, fiber, and shells are commonly used. Many works were created for ceremonial contexts and spiritual communication.

Raharuhi Rukupo

Te Hau Ki Turanga Meeting House

1842

A Maori meeting house with elaborate carvings symbolizing genealogy and ancestral presence.

Reliquary Figure

Artist Unknown

c. 1750

A wooden figure with metal accents, used to guard ancestral relics in shrines.

Ki'i 'aumakua figure

Artist Unknown

c. 1700

A carved wooden figure representing a family god or ancestral protector.