Polynesian sculpture
This display will explore the relationship between divine power and people in Polynesia through the figure known as A’a - probably the most famous Polynesian sculpture in the world. In 1821, islanders from Rurutu - one of the Austral Islands in French Polynesia - sailed to Ra’iatea in the Society Islands to give A’a to the London Missionary Society (LMS) as a symbol of their conversion to Christianity. After A’a arrived in London in 1823 it was exhibited alongside other Polynesian objects at the LMS Museum. It entered the British Museum in 1890, before formally becoming part of the collection in 1911.
http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/containing_the_divine.aspx