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Overview
This ngatu (Tongan tapa) was created by Tui Emma Gillies (Tonga – Falevai, Vava’u) as a part of the 'Ahu: Ngā wairua o Hina project.
A future of potential
This sphere, titled and painted with a Feke or octopus, represents a contemporary evolution of Tongan ngatu. Tui sought to demonstrate the potential of evolution within the artform while respecting the essence and history of ngatu making.
The Tongan island of Vava’u, Gillies' home islands, resembles an octopus from a birds eye view. This imagery inspired the feke, depicted on the ngatu. Gillies admires octopuses for their intelligence and mysterious nature, emphasising the importance of learning from the ocean for the Pacific's future.
"These are like pearls and they're going to be put into clams. These bundles are clams, treasures of everybody's beautiful pieces."
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.