Talk:Ta'aroa

	France portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Overseas France, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Overseas France on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Overseas FranceWikipedia:WikiProject Overseas FranceTemplate:WikiProject Overseas FranceOverseas France
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Polynesia: French Polynesia Mid‑importance

	Oceania portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Polynesia, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Polynesia on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.PolynesiaWikipedia:WikiProject PolynesiaTemplate:WikiProject PolynesiaPolynesia
Mid	This article has been rated as Mid-importance on the project's importance scale.
	This article is supported by the French Polynesia work group (assessed as High-importance).

Religion Low‑importance

	Religion portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Religion, a project to improve Wikipedia's articles on Religion-related subjects. Please participate by editing the article, and help us assess and improve articles to good and 1.0 standards, or visit the wikiproject page for more details.ReligionWikipedia:WikiProject ReligionTemplate:WikiProject ReligionReligion
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Wooden sculpture of Ta'aroa

This article used to feature File:Polynesian Idol Taaroa.jpg which claims to be a representation of Ta'aroa. However, this (very famous) statue is actually of A'a, and it even has its own Wikipedia page (Statue of A'a from Rurutu). The confusion appears to come from William Ellis, whose 1829 book Polynesian Researches called it "Taaroa, the supreme deity of Polynesia" (and indeed, the file linked in this article appears to be a scan from that book) but the British Museum that currently houses the statue questions that evidence; see [1], under "Curator's comments" (expand the "More"):

It became the prize trophy of the London Missionary Society, being featured on the front of 'Missionary Sketches XXIV', January 1824, and on the frontispiece of volume II of William Ellis's 'Polynesian Researches' - on both occasions with a modest waist wrap, even though it had been emasculated (see above, p.66). Ellis, (Ellis, W., 1829, 'Polynesian researches,' 2 vols, London: Dawsons of Pall Mall: II: 220) referred to it as 'Taaroa, the supreme deity of Polynesia', but on what evidence is unclear.

(Emphasis mine). So, given this, I have removed the picture, although some picture would definitely be nice. Eniagrom (talk) 14:30, 12 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Interesting. I'm glad the curator and museum are aware of the alternate identification by Ellis and the questioning of his identification. --KAVEBEAR (talk) 21:58, 12 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]