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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.
Fragments in the present This piece of 'ahu is a small tīputa (poncho) made by Dr Pauline Reynolds using techniques and barks representing the skills and intergenerational practices of her Tahitian and Pitcairn ancestors. It has been purposefully cut in two with the other half residing in the collection of Te Fare Iamanaha-Musée de Tahiti et des Îles. Through the act of cutting in two Dr Reynolds reflects on the fragments of cloth held in Alexander Shaw’s tapa sampler, and on the other small pieces of cloth held in collections across the world. She likens these to the fragmentation of her own culture and those across the Pacific as a result of colonisation. While this fragmentation often draws emotions ranging from sadness to anger among indigenous peoples, Dr Reynolds also speaks to the beauty that exists in the reweaving or restoration of culture through these fragments, giving insight, knowledge, and connection to tūpuna. "I used to feel sad about the samplers but through this project I've actually learnt. I've come to a place of understanding that we can't change the past and I'm so glad that the samplers exist. So this is about me, the fragmenting of my culture, and finding the fragments that I or other people have created and putting them back together." 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.