Remnants of the ‘Wallis Maro ‘Ura’ (Tahitian Feathered Girdle): History and Historiography

Abstract

ABSTRACTFollowing the identification of remnants of a maro ‘ura (Tahitian feathered girdle) in the Musée du quai Branly-Jacques Chirac, Paris, this article reassesses some of what has been written about maro ‘ura from first contacts with Europeans to 20th-century historical anthropology. Maro ‘ura were always described and analysed as traditional high-status regalia from the Society Islands. But this common description appears to be the result of the historical and political contexts in which texts were produced. Thus, this article analyses how the early disappearance of maro ‘ura led to their reshaping as traditional objects.