Mauna Kea Galleries's Publications

• Polynesia: The Mark and Carolyn Blackburn Collection of Polynesian Art, Mark and Carolyn Blackburn July, 2010 Set to be released this summer, Polynesia: The Mark and Carolyn Blackburn Collection of Polynesian Art explores the pieces collected by the owners of Mauna Kea Galleries in Honolulu, Hawaii. Authored by Adrienne L. Kaeppler and published by the University of Hawaii Press, Polynesia offers a glimpse into one of the world’s greatest private collections of Polynesian art. Covering a vast geographical area, all Polynesian art is linked by common artistic conventions and intentions. The collection presented in Polynesia comes from New Zealand, the Austral Islands, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Futuna, Hawaii, Malden Island, Easter Island, Rennell Island, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga, and the Tuamotus, among other locations. Many of the pieces featured in the Mark and Carolyn Blackburn collection have significant historical links, which Kaeppler endeavors to explore in full. For example, Polynesia: The Mark and Carolyn Blackburn Collection of Polynesian Art presents items associated with an 18th century Captain Cook voyage and material associated with Dupetit-Thouars and the Marquesas. Previously undocumented, these items are laboriously documented and annotated with the collector and scholar in mind. The collection includes paintings, drawings, engravings, photographs, essays, and artifacts, all of which are presented in their cultural and historical context. Kaeppler takes care to respect the aesthetic, social, and religious traditions associated with all pieces of the collection, making them easily comprehensible for the modern reader. An invaluable look at a significant collection, Polynesia takes a complicated, widespread, and powerful genre of art and makes it accessible to the casual reader while maintaining an appeal for the dedicated scholar or knowledgeable collector.

• Mauna Kea Galleries - Rare Hawaiian Items, Mauna Kea Galleries January, 2011 Recently, Mauna Kea Galleries acquired a Hawaiian game stone, or ulumaika, which dates back to the 18th century. At three inches in diameter, the limestone ulumaika is in superb condition. The ulumaika stones were used for a popular ancient Hawaiian game of chance and were most likely used for bouts of gambling. The stones are either round, like the one the Mauna Kea Galleries is offering, or slightly conical and are made out of stone or coral. Although there is a great deal of debate about how the game is played, the stones were used along with a wooden moe, which was slid across the ground. There are also documented implements for balancing and throwing. The general idea of the game was to roll the ulumaika along a playing course and through two pegs that made a goal at the course’s end. Each year, the game was played during Makahiki, at which time all fighting ceased and Hawaiians gathered to celebrate. Mauna Kea Galleries is also now offering a pohakialoa, or sinker used for fishing. Just over six inches in length, the pohakialoa is made from basalt and encrusted with coral. The other two recent acquisitions made by Mauna Kea Galleries are two pounders. The first, an awa pounder, is dated to the 18th century and measures just over 10 inches. The second is an 18th century ring pounder, known traditionally as a pohaku puka ku‘i poi. Only found on the Island of Kauai or the Marquesas Islands, these pounders are very rare and much sought after. For further information about these acquisitions or to view more of the items offered by Mauna Kea Galleries, visit MaunaKeaGalleries.com.

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