107. FAN HANDLE, MARQUESAS ISLANDS ke'e tāhii wood 20.5 cm. long Anne Lavondès (in Mata Hoata: Arts et Société aux Îles Marquises, Paris, 2016, p.118) notes that fans (tâhii) were whitewashed with shell or coral lime, or blackened with candlenut soot to protect them from insects. The most beautiful fans intended for high-ranking figures were made by the tuhuka aaka tāhii for the braiding, a now-forgotten skill, and the tuhuka ketu kee tāhii for the handles, which became sacred (tapu) once created. The fan was an identifying symbol of a particular chief and a mark of distinction between chiefs. On the occasion of festivals associated with important funerals, envoys armed with fans, like passports, would visit chiefs to invite them to the ceremonies. A sign of peace, a badge of command among warriors, an emblem of chiefs and knowledge holders, an ornament for ceremonies and festivals, an object of duty and exchange, the fan still retained all its prestige in the mid-19th century.