“Said Wi Bin” – Where We Come From'' ‘ahu (tapa cloth)

This 'ahu (Norfolk tapa) was produced by Sue Pearson (Norfolk Island – Pitcairn, Tahitian descent) as a part of the 'Ahu: Ngā wairua o Hina project.

Acknowledging the Past

“Said Wi Bin” – Where We Come From speaks to the tapa heritage of the Pitcairn and Norfolk Island People. A printed U’upa or dove, the companion of the atua Hina is her messenger to humankind.  Originally, this was a larger piece of cloth that featured twelve circular patterns representing twelve stars. These acknowledge the twelve Tahitian women, granddaughters of Hina, who went with crew on the British vessel the Bounty to settle Hitiaurevareva/Pitcairn Island.

The other designs elements on this tapa include Hitaurevareva niho (layered toothed bands) and tapa’o (printed shapes), directly reference the pattern and techniques seem on ancestral tiputa (poncho) made by Hitiaurevareva/Pitcairn Islanders.

Said We Bin was originally part of a larger work that was purposefully cut into three pieces at the behest of the artist by Dr Sean Mallon and Isaac Te Awa. This purposeful cutting honours the various real-life reasons tapa is cut, and the samples in the Alexander Shaw sampler book. The three pieces now reside with the artist Sue Pearson, and in the collections of Te Papa Tongarewa, and Te Fare Iamanaha-Musée de Tahiti et des Îles.

"The beautiful thing about this project is that you've asked us all to create tapa that we want to be preserved and for future generations... My work's very much about our people's journey and our identity."

Sue Pearson, 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.