Model Boat | Alia

Building an alia required years of preparation and took months to finish, whereby every stage of the building was accompanied by ceremonies and festivities. Most of the village took part, assuming various tasks and supervised by an experienced boat builder. The wood of the breadfruit tree was the main building material. The sails were woven from coconut palm leaves. Bow and stern were often adorned with elaborate carvings. A deck was built across the bodies of both hulls, with a house and a commanding platform on top in the middle. Every alia received an individual name after its completion. Whereas in the case of many of the other model boats in the collection, for which unfortunately no record of who built them and how they arrived into the Brandeises collection exists, the story of this particular model is well documented. It was top of Antonie Brandeis’ list - compiled in 1900 - of artefacts for donation, which underscores its importance. The reason for this lies in its origin. It was a gift from the Samoan Chief Mata’afa Iosefo (1832-1912). The history of the artefact is therefore interwoven with the history of German colonialism in Oceania. When Eugen Brandeis assumed office as Administrator in Chief of the Marshall Islands in August 1898, he also assumed responsibility for Mata’afa Iosefo, who had been interned as a political prisoner on Jaluit since 1893 along with other followers. He was exiled from the Marshall Islands by the German colonial administration after he violently rejected the German-sponsored appointment of the Samoan king, Tupua Tamasese Titimaea. Shortly after Eugen Brandeis assumed office in Jaluit, the matter of the status of the prisoners was addressed and subsequently the decision to end Mata’afa Iosefo exile was made. Eugen Brandeis had worked as a political advisor to the Tamasese government on Samoa between 1886 and 1889. During this time, he and chief Mata’afa became personally acquainted. Consequently, even though they engaged with one another as political rivals, there was a story that connected them. Antonie and Eugen Brandeis described their relationship to Mata’afa losefo in letters and publications as respectful and friendly. Antonie Brandeis in particular, expressed sympathy for the exiled Samoan people, who had been her neighbours for many weeks. Upon his return, the chief then gave the couple this model boat as a gift. It is not quite clear if Mata’afa Iosefo himself or one of his followers was responsible for the craftsmanship in this case; there are conflicting accounts. There are photos taken by Antonie Brandeis from around 1898/1999 that show the model boat in the couple’s living room in Jaluit as a prominent feature. It arrived in Freiburg with the first shipment in April 1900 and quickly became one of the most well-known objects in the collection, as clearly shown by newspaper articles at the time that consistently point out the connection to Mata’afa Iosefo, whose involvement in the rebellion against the King of Samoa was already widely known to the German public. Thus, the model boat embodies a story of colonial entanglement between Germany, Samoa and the Marshall Islands, likewise between Chief Mata’afa Iosefo, the Brandeises and Freiburg. Against this backdrop, how we understand his donation remains unresolved, open question, inasmuch as the Samoan perspective is absent. Gifts carry an important ceremonial function in Pacific societies for creating and maintaining relationships of exchange. If possible, it is logical to consider the gift within this context. After his return, Mata’afa Iosefo was crowned King of Samoa - this time with German backing. Author: Godwin Kornes, Translation: Timothy Connell