Oceania
Marquesas Islands
Stilt Step, Tapuva'e
Wood
H.17 3/4 in. (45.1 cm)
Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection

The stilt step, meant to be lashed to a stilt between five and seven feet long, depicts two figures in the distinctive goggle-eyed Marquesan style. Marquesan men participated in stilt competitions as tests of their athletic abilities and spiritual strength.