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Overview
This kapa (Hawaiian tapa) was produced by Dalani Tanahy (Hawai’i) as a part of the 'Ahu: Ngā wairua o Hina project.
Commemorating the present
This kapa honours those impacted by the devastating Lahaina fires of 2023.
The artwork depicts two of Maui's four major rivers, the Nā Wai ‘Ehā. Fragmented blue patterns and symmetrical parallel lines symbolize the fractured state of the water, referencing the ongoing struggles Kānaka Maoli people face with water ownership and commercialisation. Wave patterns painted in clay represent Ulalena, the hopeful and cleansing wind that graces Maui, alongside yellow hues representing the island's twilight rains.
"The water you can see it's not flowing water; it's fractured water. You have the farmers fighting for water you have developers fighting for water, so the water is fractured and divided in bad ways right now while people fight for it. There's a wind and a rain in Lahaina called Ulalena and that's what this clay represents. Unfortunately, there was no Ulalena rain on the day of the fire. While I was working on this piece, this was all going on and I had family affected by it directly. I wanted to commemorate the ‘eha, the pain of that event, and hopefully that one day these can be flowing rivers."
Dalani Tanahy
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.