Figure of the war god Ku-ka’ili-moku, Hawaiian, wood, 107 inches tall, c. 18th-19th century

King Kamehameha I had this sculpture and a number of temples erected to the god Ku (the snatcher of land) as he embarked on a military campaign that would eventually unite the Hawaiian Islands. The sculpture is not so much an image of the god, but a portal that would allow the god to become present in the mortal world.