The Polynesian Iconoclasm ― Religious Revolution and the Seasonality of Power

The iconoclasm was a movement that swept Polynesia beginning in 1815 in which people destroyed sacrificial alters and god images of their native religions and adopted Christianity, explains anthropologist Sissons. He argues that the phenomenon was of seasonal and ritual significance for Polynesians, noting that almost all destructive episodes occurred from November to January. Termed makahiki in Hawai'i and matari'i-i-nia in Tahiti, he says, this was the season when gods and ancestors returned to bring about a renewal of life. Among his topics are the seasonality of life, chieftain Pomare's iconoclasm as seasonal sacrifice, re-consecrating the world, and new tabus and ancient pleasures. Annotation c2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)

Jeffrey Sissons is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Victoria University of Wellington. He is the author of numerous publications on Maori and Polynesian history written over the past 25 years. His most recent book is First Peoples: Indigenous Cultures and their Futures (Reaktion Books, 2005).