In the Spirit House

A carving, in fragrant sandalwood, of one of the ancient Gods of Tonga, the island group in the South Pacific. I bought her in Nuku'alofa, almost 50 years ago, and she still smells fragrant!

Only six original wooden “goddess” figures from Tonga have survived in public museum collections around the world. Three are in Auckland and there are single examples in Chicago, Paris and of all places in Scotland in the anthropology museum at Aberdeen University.

The Aberdeen figure was almost certainly donated to King's College by David Cargill. Cargill was a graduate of the university and served as a Methodist missionary in Tonga from 1834-5 and in Fiji from 1835 to 1840.

Perhaps this is how these Gods may have looked in the darkness of the Spirit House. It is my attempt at Markus Hediger's challenge, Radical Exposure (EP17).