Beyond flesh and bone : body-objects, personhood, and ontology in prehistoric and early historic Rapa Nui, East Polynesia
This thesis explores the role played by anthropomorphic objects in how prehistoric and early historic people of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) shaped their understanding of body, person, and world. Previous studies on some of these objects based their interpretations on the use of textual (ethnographic or historic) information, offering representational - mainly mythological - understandings of them. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate from a strictly archaeological perspective objects shaped in human body form or having human body parts, focusing on the material character of the objects, their iconographic elements, and the ways in which their multiple attributes relate to each other and to other participants of the Rapanui world. By studying objects made in varied materials, scales, and with diverse iconographic elements, this thesis offers a broad understanding of the anthropomorphic objects, crossing traditional typological divisions used by ethnographers and archaeologists. This thesis is informed by different theoretical discussions on the social and cultural reality of body and personhood, as well as on the ontological frame(s) in which they exist. Anthropomorphic objects are considered as bodies made in
Armstrong, Felipe
Beyond flesh and bone : body-objects, personhood, and ontology in prehistoric and early historic Rapa Nui, East Polynesia. This thesis explores the role played by anthropomorphic objects in how prehistoric and early historic people of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) shaped their understanding of body, person, and world. Previous studies on some of these objects based their interpretations on the use of textual (ethnographic or historic) information, offering representational - mainly mythological - understandings of them. The aim of this thesis is to evaluate from a strictly archaeological perspective objects shaped in human body form or having human body parts, focusing on the material character of the objects, their iconographic elements, and the ways in which their multiple attributes relate to each other and to other participants of the Rapanui world. By studying objects made in varied materials, scales, and with diverse iconographic elements, this thesis offers a broad understanding of the anthropomorphic objects, crossing traditional typological divisions used by ethnographers and archaeologists. This thesis is informed by different theoretical discussions on the social and cultural reality of body and personhood, as well as on the ontological frame(s) in which they exist. Anthropomorphic objects are considered as bodies made in
beyond flesh bone body objects personhood ontology prehistoric early historic east explore_role play anthropomorphic object prehistoric early historic people easter island shape body person world previous_study object base interpretation use textual ethnographic historic information offer representational mainly mythological understanding them aim_evaluate strictly archaeological_perspective object shape human body form human_body part focus material character object iconographic element way multiple attribute relate participant world study object make varied material scale diverse iconographic element offer broad anthropomorphic object cross traditional typological division use archaeologist inform different theoretical_discussion social_cultural reality body personhood well ontological frame exist anthropomorphic object consider body make