Remove yourself for a minute from the stifling minutiae of modern American civilization. Close your eyes and reach out to a more primal humanity—which happens to be a few hundred miles west of California. Bowers Museum’s newest exhibit, “Spirits and Headhunters: Art of the Pacific Islands,” brings to life the artistic rituals and rich traditions of myriad cultures of the Pacific Islands—Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia. “These treasures define us as a species,” says Chris Rainier, a seasoned photographer who documented the Pacific’s indigenous tribes. “Each artifact serves as an act of daily survival: birth, marriage, warfare, life, death, payback compensation and daily food supply. The presence of these objects is overwhelming.” This exhibit boasts more than 150 unique pieces, including masks, tools of the shaman, weapons and currency.
