Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Traditional art of Samoan tattooing on display
Traditional art of Samoan tattooing on display
“While women shall bear children, men shall feel the fire of the tatau”- A Samoan proverb
The rarely seen process of
traditional Samoan tattooing will be open for all to view at
The University of Auckland’s Fale Pasifika from this
week.
Throughout August, as part of a programme to
encourage the preservation of traditional Pacific knowledge,
tufuga ta tatau (tattoo master) Su’a Suluape Alaiva’a
Petelo, the son of renowned Samoan traditional artist Su’a
Peter Suluape, will take up one of four of the
University’s Heritage Artists in Residencies for
2011.
The artist, who is well-known for both his
contemporary and traditional tattooing, received his own
pe’a (traditional male tatau covering the body from the
waist to the knees) for his 19th birthday, a process which
“completely changed his outlook on life”.
During
his month-long visit to the University Su’a will create a
full-male tatau on Pacific Studies PhD candidate Falaniko
Tominiko.
Falaniko explains: “For me receiving the
tatau is a statement about being Samoan in New Zealand. It
is as big as getting married and carries with it
responsibilities. It is a visual sign of identity - you
behave like a Samoan because you are wearing a symbol of
Samoa. It is also a symbol of service, my service to the
Centre for Pacific Studies and the service I will provide to
my own family.
The process, which has been part of the
Samoan culture for thousands of years, is known to be
extremely painful. It is also intimate and usually only
viewed by family.
Falaniko adds: “Having tatau in
the Fale Pasifika is important. From a Western context it is
an exhibition, from a Pacific context it is a classroom, a
learning and sharing between the artist and the
public.”
Su’a Suluape’s residency is the third
of four month-long residencies at the University allowing
Pacific Heritage artists to work full-time on a project
based at the Centre’s Fale Pasifika.
Previous
residencies included the Oto’ota Fahina Society, a group
of women textile artists from Mt Roskill, who created Tongan
ngatu (tapa) from April to May; followed in June by Niuean
weavers from Avondale-based Nuku21 Pasifika Trust (hailing
originally from the northern villages of Mutalau and Toi in
Niue) weaving lalaga and tia with both traditional and
contemporary materials.
Tufuga Lalava Filipe Tohi,
master in traditional Tongan lashing, and creator of the
lashings inside the University’s Fale, will work on a new
installation for the final residency in
October.
Director of the Centre for Pacific Studies,
Walter Fraser says: “The Heritage Artists in Residence is
a pioneering programme for traditional Pacific art designed
to maintain heritage arts and make them more accessible to
Pacific communities and the wider public.”
As part
of this residency’s public programme an event evening
entitled “Pacific Tufuga Roundtable” will be held at the
Fale Pasifika from 4-6pm on Tuesday 9 August where
practitioners, artists and writers will discuss the role of
tufuga in contemporary society as well as the place of
heritage art in New Zealand.
ends
Age Concern Wellington Region: Loneliness As A Major Issue For Many Seniors This Christmas
We are the University: Open Letter - Cuts To Marsden Funding For Humanities And Social Sciences
PHARMAC: Skin Cream To Treat Infections Becomes Fully Funded
Wellington Regional Stadium Trust: Sky Stadium To Lower Emissions And Energy Consumption As Ecobulb Replaces Thousands Of Lights At The Venue
NZCER: 2024 Recipient Of Margaret May Blackwell Travel Fellowship Announced
PHCC: NZ’s First Case Of Highly Pathogenic Bird Flu - Need To Strengthen Surveillance And Awareness