item details
Overview
This 'ahu (Norfolk tapa) was produced by Dr Pauline Reynolds (Norfolk Island – Pitcairn, Tahitian descent) as a part of the 'Ahu: Ngā wairua o Hina project.
Honouring the past
Iwi tīputa - small tīputa is a miniature replica of a tīputa (poncho) made on Pitcairn Island in the 1800s. This piece by Dr. Pauline Reynolds honours the intergenerational knowledge of her Norfolk Islander practice, showcasing the making traditions passed from mother to daughter by her Tahitian and Pitcairn ancestors. The cloth incorporates three barks: the delicate 'uru (breadfruit), the rich brown `ōrā (banyan) and the versatile aute (paper mulberry).
In the creation of this piece Dr Reynolds reflected on her own research and interest in the different textures of tapa which are often overlooked in the presence of painted surface design. Dr Reynolds describes these textures as portals into the makers lives and their knowledge systems.
"My responses to the Shaw book were entirely coming from my perspective as a Norfolk Islander who descends from particular women from Tahiti and Huahine and their daughters. In the 1820s on Pitcairn Island they made a series of tīputa. They used their mother's knowledge; you know hundreds of generations of knowledge. This is recording the process that those women used to make their tīputa."
Dr Pauline Reynolds, 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.