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Overview
This hiapo (Niuean tapa) was produced by Cora-Allan Twiss (Niue – Alofi, Liku. Aotearoa – Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Tumutumu) as a part of the 'Ahu: Ngā wairua o Hina project
Memories in the present
In this piece titled Present Cora-Allan reflects on her relationships within her family, incorporating patterns from the villages of her grandparents in Niue with objects gifted to her by her Nana. Cora-Allan describes these objects as "beautiful taonga" or treasures, referencing them as a touchstone and a source of inspiration. She views her practice as an extension of her grandparents' legacy with the objects and patterns acting as repositories of knowledge or mātauraga passed down through generations.
Among the everyday items depicted is a repurposed honey jar collected by Cora-Allan’s grandfather in the 1980s which he filled with Niuean honey. Today these objects transcend their original purpose and have become a living portrait of her family history. Each is imbued with memories of shared times together, reflecting the relationships and experiences her grandparents, their children and grandchildren have had with each other. While the objects themselves vary, their significance lies in the stories they hold and their connections.
"The present works, they're all objects that my nana's given me... These beautiful taonga are just like the patterns, just like mātauranga. They’ll pass down to me because they had history and now I create a present with them and will pass them into the future to my kids... These pieces encompass a colonial looking ship and a jar which is actually a honey jar that my grandfather collected in the 90s that was filled with Niue honey, and so the objects aren't just still life objects they become more of a portrait of my family, a portrait of the time my kids have been able to spend with my grandmother."
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.