Pu ihu cloth cover

This is a cloth cover for a pu ihu (nose flute) from Fatu Hiva in the Marquesas Islands. In the 19th century both men and women played the pu ihu and it was used in courting rituals. Today, it is most often seen in performances at cultural festivals where it is celebrated as a culturally significant artform. Decorated examples of pu ihu varying quality are also sold to tourists seeking souvenirs representing Marquesan society and culture.

Materials and construction

This pu ihu is made from a piece of bamboo with one end open and the other end closed with a wooden stopper. There is a hole at the closed end of the instrument that the user will exhale into and three note stops or finger holes in the middle section. An inscription of “FII HIVA OA“ has been made near one of the holes. The other side of the flute is decorated with pyrograved geometric motifs derived from Marquesan tattooing, with the primary motif or ipu, consisting of the concentric "C" (Kjellgren and Ivory 2005).

Regional revivals

This pu ihu was acquired at a time when wind instruments and in particular nose flutes are undergoing a revival among Pacific communities in Aotearoa and elsewhere. In the early 21st century, the interest in nose flutes in Samoan and Tongan communities has led to revivals, and nose flute makers and players assemble regularly to revive playing techniques and improve their skills.

Active Tongan practitioners of fangufangu (Tongan nose flutes) include Saia Tu'itahi and the Kava Book Club 'Aotearoa, and Tu‘ifonualava Kaivelata of the Fangufangu Mīnoa ‘o Tonga and Hikule‘o ‘o Ono‘aho groups. Samoan musicians such as jazz composer Andrew Faleatua and musician and Tau'ili'ili Alpha Maiava are exploring the fagufagu (Samoan nose flutes) in their composition work. These developments follow a flourishing revival among Māori of the making and playing of wind instruments over recent decades.

Reference cited

Kjellgren, E., and Ivory, C. S. (2005). Adorning the world: art of the Marquesas Islands. Metropolitan Museum of Art.