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Overview
This tiputa (poncho) was produced by Cora-Allan Twiss (Niue – Alofi, Liku. Aotearoa – Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Tumutumu) as a part of the 'Ahu: Ngā wairua o Hina project.
Making for the future
This tiputa titled Future embodies Cora-Allans hope for the future of hiapo (Niuean tapa). The tiputa is a garment worn in some Pacific cultures. Tiputa were more common in the past and to many people today they are an expression of cultural heritage and identity through art, pattern, and story. Cora-Allan is driven by a desire to see hiapo reintegrated and normalised into the lives and homes of the Niuean community. She chose to make a tiputa to communicate her wish for the future as she believes they are functional artworks that resonate, prioritise and uplift people. This philosophy of making stems from her roots as a revival practitioner who identifies as a community maker who makes for community first.
"If I could say what I want for hiapo, it would be to be on everyone's bodies. I've given two tiputa for the bundles because I'm thinking I want the kids to wear them I want it to be like "I'm graduating kindy, where's my tiputa? It's my birthday, where's my tiputa? It's my friend's birthday or ear piercing, hair cutting, there's so many ways in which we can use it. Even today I could have worn one, but we just use them for special ceremonies, and I want them to just be everyday common objects."
Cora-Allan Twiss, 2023
Background
In 2021, with the Te Papa Foundation’s support, Te Papa acquired a rare book of tapa cloth samples, one of many assembled by Alexander Shaw in 1787. The samples were cut from larger pieces of tapa collected on Captain Cook’s voyages to the Pacific (1768, 1772, 1776) and represent tapa-making practices from various islands including Hawai‘i, Tahiti and Tonga. While the books contain only fragments of much larger creations, they highlight the variety of textures and artistry attained through the practices, knowledge, and skills of Pacific peoples.
Held in Tahiti in 2023, 'Ahu: Ngā Wairua o Hina brought tapa makers of Tongan, Sāmoan, Niuean, Fijian, Hawaiian, Tahitian, Pitcairn-Norfolk Island, and Māori descent. Over five days this group worked together to re-establish their living relationships to the cloth held within the Alexander Shaw book. Through a process of wānanga this group of makers created two tapa bundles, incorporating the ideas of past, present, and future. Today, one of the bundles resides with Te Papa and the other with Te Fare Iamanaha-Musée de Tahiti et des Îles.