Britannica Sources used in this answer

How did European contact affect the preservation of early Oceanic artworks?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

dilly bag; Aboriginal Australian art, Northern Territory, Australia — Oceanic art and architecture An Aboriginal Australian decorating a tightly woven dilly bag with white, yellow, and ochre (red) paints, Northern Territory, Australia, 1948.

European contact had a profound and dual impact on the preservation of early Oceanic artworks. On one hand, the arrival of Western collectors and researchers was instrumental in preserving ephemeral materials that might otherwise have been lost, as the lack of archaeological evidence makes the study of ancient Oceanic art incomplete.1

Conversely, European contact also contributed to the destruction and loss of traditional art. The rapid spread of Christianity in Polynesia, for instance, rendered many types of ritual objects obsolete, leading to their widespread destruction. Furthermore, beginning in the 18th century, the influence of European collectors stimulated changes in production, including the adaptation of traditional forms to suit European tastes and the outright creation of fakes or items manufactured specifically for sale.23

Because many early works were destroyed or lost, our understanding of these artistic traditions is often incomplete and must be supplemented by the records, writings, and drawings left by early explorers.12