This massive feast bowl, known as an umete, comes from
Atiu, one of the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. At 12 feet
long, it can hold up to 300 gallons and would have been used at
large communal feasts to serve a food called poi. A range
of food plants, including sweet potato, yams, taro and plantain,
are typically used to make poi, which is prepared by
mashing the flesh of the plant with a heavy stone pounder and
mixing it with coconut milk.
Feasting in the South Seas
Feasting played an important role in traditional Cook Islands’
culture, with food being a measure of prosperity. Offerings were
made to the gods to ensure success in daily activities such as
fishing or the planting of crops. Neglect of ritual duties could
cause imbalance in the natural world, whereas abundance indicated
that all was well. At feasts, the blessings of the gods were both
being sought and being praised. The more lavish the feast, the more
honoured the gods.
How was the feast bowl made?
Cook Islanders are expert wood-carvers. The boat-shaped bowl is
carved from a single piece of tamanu wood, also known as
island mahogany. Tamanu trees have special significance
and people are often buried in places where they grow. Although
functional objects like this feast bowl are often undecorated, its
immense scale would have emphasised the status of its
owner.
The feast bowl’s journey to Scotland
In 1871, Parua, the high chief of Atiu, gifted this bowl to a
chieftainess of the neighbouring Society Islands and it was
transported there by canoe across a distance of over 500 miles.
The bowl was inherited by the Tahitian princess, Titaua, whose
second husband was a Scottish businessman, George Darsie.
Together they ran a plantation trade and labour business. In 1892,
they retired to Darsie’s hometown of Anstruther, taking the feast
bowl with them. In 1895 Darsie sold a number of objects to the
Museum, including the bowl, as well as Polynesian jewellery, tools
and a chief’s headdress.
Where is the feast bowl displayed?
The feast bowl stands in the Grand Gallery at National Museum of
Scotland, along with other key objects from our collection, as a
reminder of the links Scotland shares with the rest of the
world.
Above: The feast bowl takes pride of place in the Grand
Gallery.
Above: The feast bowl is a key object in the Grand Gallery.