From Sacred to Souvenir: the Squatting Figure as a Motif in Micronesian Art

Wavell, Barbara B. (2002). "From Sacred to Souvenir: the Squatting Figure as a Motif in Micronesian Art". Tribal Arts: 62–75. ISSN 1354-2990.

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Abstract: The Micronesian squatting figure is a true tribal arts mystery. For the last 100 years this interesting sculpture has been a popular genre figure in the Western Caroline Islands. But does it represent the last vestiges of a disappearing religious tradition or is it simply a tourist motif, perhaps introduced from another cultural area by a capricious colonial power? This intriguing example of Micronesian figural sculpture presents a significant research challenge since the first explicit references to the squatting figure and its cultural origins are found in Japanese sources dating from the Japanese occupation of Micronesia (1914- 1945). Earlier references to figural sculpture from the area including Spanish, German and American sources describe standing, not squatting figures. They vaguely mention "idols" or crude figures without providing a detailed description.