Kotue

The distinctive form of the lidded Marquesan bowls known as kotue suggests the body and tail of a bird adorned with a fully modeled human head. Only about a dozen of these remarkable vessels are known. Versatile as well as elegant, bird-shaped bowls were first described by European explorers in the eighteenth century, and a number of different functions are assigned to them in the historical sources. Fitted with removable lids to protect their contents, kotue were used to store a variety of items including popoi, a paste made from pounded breadfruit that is a staple of the Marquesan diet. They were also used to safeguard ornaments and other valuables as well as 'eka (turmeric), a precious yellow-orange powder used to adorn the skin.