Tivaevae manu (appliqué quilt)

History

Tlvaevae is the Cook Island word for patchwork quilts of which there are several varieties that vary in technique. Tivaevae manu are part of the applique quilts variety where two cloths are sewn together. Some scholars believe the missionary introduction of tivaevae-making in Hawai'i and Tahiti in the 1820s, may have found its way to the Cook Islands. Some tivaevae were made for fundraising ventures to assist the London Missionary Society in their activities during the nineteenth-century. Today in the Cook Islands, tivaevae are an essential part of the culture as it is used for many occasions such as weddings and hair-cutting ceremonies, to nurture and maintain family connections.

Construction and materials

This tivaevae manu is made from blue and white material and has a silhouette style. At each corner is an image of a female merio (mermaid) wearing a flower in her hair. Each merio has one hand reaching towards a fish.

Significance

This tivaevae manu was cut, designed and started by Pauline Maono from Tahiti and finished by her relative Cook Islander Ngatuaine Utia in New Zealand in the 1980s. The merio pattern is usually associated with Tahitian tifaifai (quilt). This tivaevae was made to acknowledge the tangible connection between the Tahitian and Cook Island families.

Acquisition history

This tivaevae manu was acquired by Te Papa in 2012 from Mimetua Tupangaia, the niece of Pauline Maono of Tahiti.

References

Hutton, G. "Tivaevae: Cook Islands quilting in New Zealand" Mallon, S. and Pereira, P. (eds.) Pacific Art Niu Sila: the Pacific dimension of contemporary New Zealand Arts . (Wellington: Te Papa Press, 2002).

Kuchler, S. and Eimke, A. Tivaivai: the social frabic of the Cook Islands. (Wellington: Te Papa Press, 2010).

Rongokea, L. Tivaevae: portraits of Cook Islands quilting. (Wellington: Daphne Brasell Associates Press, 1992).

Rongokea, L. The art of tivaevae: traditional Cook Islands quilting. (Auckland: Random House New Zealand, 2001).