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Overview
This ngatu (Tongan tapa) was created by Tui Emma Gillies (Tonga – Falevai, Vava'u) for the Ahu: Ngā wairua o Hina project.
Connections in the present
In this artwork Tui draws on her previous studies of vaka, fish, and marine life. Inspired by her time in Tahiti, she paints a tuna fish with a vaka to symbolise the interconnectedness of Pacific cultures. She compares the movement of Pacific people to the free movement of marine life, highlighting the interdependence of the Pacific region.
This artwork serves as a reminder of the present vulnerability and the importance of protecting the Pacific's unique environment, species, and people.
“This piece is all of us. There's a lot of fish and ocean life and this is us. We travelled on our vaka and we travelled and connected to all these different places in the world. This piece could be the past if we put it in the past, but it's our present and will be our future.”
Tui Emma Gillies, 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.