The barkcloth by which power is entangled
The power is curbed by the barkcloth cord
(Hawaiian prayer)
Polynesians protected, managed and contained objects and people that held the power of the gods by wrapping and binding them.
In the Society Islands in particular images of gods were made from a piece of wood wrapped in barkcloth, feathers and coconut fibre. The wrapping was a crucial part of the image and when it was removed the god would withdraw from it. Ritual re-wrapping reinvested the image with the god's presence.
This presence, however, was potentially very dangerous and while wrapping protected the sacred object it also prevented that object's power from getting out.
Feathers were amongst the most important forms of wrapping because birds were seen as being intimately connected with the gods. Red and yellow feathers were often used to cover or wrap images of gods, but also to wrap people in whom the power of the gods was carried. In Hawaii only the highest-ranking chiefs could wear red and yellow feathered cloaks and ornaments.
Tattooing performed a similar role in wrapping the body. Tattoos reinforced it, added an extra protective layer and prevented power from being inappropriately transmitted in or out of a person.
Illustration: The only surviving wrapped example of a large staff god image from Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. Representations of the gods in the Cook Islands included wooden images in human form, slab carvings and staffs such as this, known as 'god sticks'. This one is thought to represent the Rarotongan creator god Ta'aroa.
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