Stilt step (tapuva'e)

Marquesan men performed on stilts both for entertainment and for ritual occasions, such as weddings, funerary ceremonies for chiefs and priests, and coming-of-age celebrations. Most performances were contests between opponents that took place on large public ceremonial platforms. Drums provided music for costumed dancers wearing feather head-dresses. Audiences placed wagers on races, mock battles, and other competitions. The contestants on poles up to seven feet high attempted to dislodge each other. Footrests such as this one were lashed to the poles two or three feel from the bottom. The upcurved shape is supported by a stocky caryatid in the form of a tiki, the human image central to the Marquesan belief system. It displays the typical massive legs, closed arms, and large head with well-defined features. Shallow grooves covering the entire body recall the tattoos that beautify the Marquesan men's and women's bodies.