Question 1

Briefly describe Melanesian societies.

Accepted Answer

Fairly democratic and relatively unstratified, political power is usually vested with the male elders, and sometimes female elders. These elders handle the community's affairs in collective fashion. Festivals and ceremonies are performed in order to maintain the society and its stability.

Question 2

Tatanua masks are part of the Malanggan mortuary ceremonies. Which of the following describes the function of tatanua masks?

Accepted Answer

A)   They represent spirits of the great ancestors.
B)   They represent spirits of Malanggan.
C)   They represent spirits of specific deceased people.
D)   They represent spirits of clan elders. C

Question 3

In the Iatmul ceremonial men's house, the reenactment of the life and death cycle was performed in the second story of the house. Which of the following describes the reenactment?

Accepted Answer

A)   Ritual dance performed in the second story
B)   Clan members enter and exit the second story
C)   Uninitiated girls enter and exit through the front entry
D)   First wives enter and exit through the front entry B

Question 4

Who is a "Big Man" in Melanesian society?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Who is a "Big Man" in Melanesian...

Question 5

How was information transmitted from one generation to the next in Pacific Island societies?

Accepted Answer

A)   Verbally
B)   Written manuscripts
C)   Calligraphy carved on boards
D)   Stone carvings

Question 6

Compare and contrast Asmat society with Maori society. Consider the social order within each group. How did the visual imagery of each group reflect that social order? Use examples to support your essay.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compare and contrast Asmat society with Maori...

Question 7

How did the landscape of Australia affect the creative universe of the Aborigines? Use examples to support your essay.

Accepted Answer

The answer of How did the landscape of Australia affect...

Question 8

Which of the following is a control mechanism used on Belau (Pelau) warning women to stay away from the ocean and the bai?

Accepted Answer

A)   Blellek
B)   Dilukai
C)   Kuka'ilimoku
D)   Kamehameha

Question 9

Figure carvings on a Maori meetinghouse represent which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)   Navigation charts
B)   Real and mythological ancestors
C)   Landscapes
D)   Events

Question 10

How do these images represent status?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How do these images represent status?...

Question 11

Compare the thematic relevance of this statue with that of the Rarotonga staff god .

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compare the thematic relevance of this statue...

Question 12

For the Asmat headhunting was a way of maintaining a balance of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)   Political power
B)   Family power
C)   Jurisdiction
D)   Spiritual power

Question 13

Bisj poles serve as pledges to avenge a relative's death; many of the animal representations that decorate the poles are related to headhunting. Which of the following animals might be represented?

Accepted Answer

A)   Shark
B)   Dog
C)   Flying fox
D)   Cat

Question 14

How did these images represent their respective communities and cultures?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How did these images represent their respective...

Question 15

What is X-ray style, and who uses it?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is X-ray style, and who uses...

Question 16

Who was Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville, and how did he affect the study of Oceania?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Who was Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville,...

Question 17

What do these images signify?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What do these images signify?...

Question 18

Describe the Asmat universe. How do their depictions reflect their respective society and philosophy? How has it changed in the last half of the 20th century? Use examples to support your essay.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the Asmat universe. How do their...

Question 19

The moai serve as silent sentinels on stone platforms, which were burial sites or were used for religious ceremonies. Based on this, which of the following would the moai depict?

Accepted Answer

A)   Sacred earth
B)   The gods
C)   Ancestral chiefs
D)   Disembarkation sites of the ancestors

Question 20

The Asmat have a rich visual vocabulary for symbols. They consider the female praying mantis to represent which the following meanings in their art?

Accepted Answer

A)   Fertility
B)   Female power
C)   Family
D)   Headhunting/cannibalism

Exam 36: Oceania Before 1980