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Tutana Tetuanui-Peters; maker/artist; September 2023; Marquesas Islands
Overview
This pou’u mei (Marquesan breadfruit tapa) was produced by sisters and master tapa makers Sarah Vaki and Tutana Tetuanui-Peters (Te Ao Mā'ohi – Fatu Hiva) as a part of the 'Ahu: Ngā wairua o Hina project.
Investing in the present
On the Island of Fatu Hiva this cloth made from the bark of the mei or breadfruit tree is known as a pou’u mei. According to tapa maker and artist Sarah Vaki, Fatu Hiva's tapa makers consider breadfruit one of the oldest barks used for making cloth, and in some oral narratives it is acknowledged as the first type of bark cloth made and gifted to humans by the atua or deity Hina.
This pou’u mei is one of two chosen to represent the artists reflections of cloth making in the present. Both were created by young teenage girls under the tutelage of Sarah Vaki on Fatu Hiva and represent the continuation of their cultural practices.
"That's how I learned. I learned from then on with the mamas. They taught all about all the different barks: the ute [paper mulberry]; the 'āoa [banyan] which is used to make the hiapo; the mei [breadfruit] which makes the pou’u mei."
Sarah Vaki, 2023 (Exert from an interview translated by Dr Pauline Reynolds.)
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.