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Overview
This is an ili (fan) from Tuvalu. It is made from midribs and young shoots of the coconut tree woven together and attached to a short handle.
Form and function
Hand held fans are made throughout the Pacific Islands. People use them to keep cool in hot weather, they present them as gifts and sell them to tourists as souvenirs. They use them decoratively as ornaments, and display them in their homes. In performances, dancers often use fans as accessories, to complement their costumes and accentuate their body movements. People make fans from a range of materials including coconut and pandanus leaf, barkcloth (tapa) and wood. They embellish them with shells, beads, feathers, paints and dyes. The decorations can be pictorial and include text such as names of people, places or events.
A Nurse in the Pacific
This ili once belonged to Wendy Smith, a nurse who worked for the Red Cross movement in New Zealand and overseas for about 21 years. She began working in the Pacific region in 1979, and was in Tonga when Tropical Cyclone Isaac devastated the Ha'apai group of islands in 1982. The cyclone, killed six people, and left 45,000 homeless. Wendy along with colleagues offered several hundred family packages to those devastated by the cyclone.
Aquisition History
This ili is part of a small collection of objects associated with Wendy's career that she gifted to Te Papa in 2010.