Language, culture, and the impact of ‘Slavers in Paradise’
Curator Pacific Cultures Rachel Yates takes a look at the book Slavers in Paradise, and a lesser-known episode of Cook Islands and Pacific history.Read more
2017-08-04
Countering stereotypes through co-collecting with Tongan youth
As part of our co-collecting initiative with the Tongan community, students have been considering what truly represents them and counters stereotypical representations. Curator Pacific Art, Nina Tonga highlights some of the students and their selected objects.Read more
2017-06-16
Kava, fashion, and teenage life: Co-collecting with our Tongan communities
Pacific Art curator Nina Tonga introduces Pikipiki hama kae vaevae manava, a new initiative that sees Te Papa team up with Tongan communities in Auckland to explore the rich cultures through fashion, kava, and youth experiences.Read more
2017-06-09
New Zealand Music Month: The legacy of Bob Marley
It’s New Zealand Music Month! Rachel Yates, Curator Pacific Cultures, looks at the influence of Bob Marley on the musical landscape of New Zealand. Since 2001, driven by the New Zealand Music Commission, the month of May has been dedicated to the promotion and celebration of local New Zealand artistsRead more
2017-05-22
Conserving plastics: why you should keep your Barbie in the fridge
Many people believe that plastic items are indestructible and will last forever. But what if you learnt this wasn’t the case? Conservator, Nirmala Balram, gives us an insight into the science of plastic deterioration and how you should look after your prized plastic possessions.Read more
2017-01-18
Opinion: why we should beware of the word ‘traditional’
In 1994, four years before the opening of Te Papa, Samoan novelist and scholar Albert Wendt was an advisor for the planned Pacific exhibitions. He requested that we abandon the use of terms like ‘traditional art’ in our labels and display signage. ‘Traditional means nothing to me!’ he said. AtRead more
2016-12-20
The changing art of tatau: Samoan tattooing
Rebecca Rice and Nina Tonga asked Sean Mallon, Senior Curator Pacific Cultures, some questions about Sāmoan tatau, a form of adornment still practised today.Read more
2016-12-02
Behind the scenes in 360 degrees
New technology is making it easier than ever to offer everyone a glimpse behind the scenes at Te Papa. We’ve shared tens of thousands of images collection objects in high resolution, and we’ve opened our venue spaces to Google Maps so that you can peek inside the museum. Recently, we’ve beenRead more
2016-10-13
Object Conservation: A technical examination project
Join me, Cat Williams, over the coming months as I investigate and conserve one of Te Papa’s recent acquisitions – a painted wooden shield from Papua New Guinea. Yes, it is decorated with The Phantom! Items in our national collection have fascinating biographies and often there is still much toRead more
2016-09-29
One of the Good Guys: Phantom Shields in Papua New Guinea
Deep in the jungle of Bangalla lives a masked comic-strip marvel known as the Phantom, a guardian of the innocent who fights against the destruction of injustice. His powerful feats, which stretch over four hundred years, earned him the alias of the ‘Ghost Who Walks’ and the ‘Man who NeverRead more
2016-09-08
Remembering Tufuga Holoatu Lagatule (1938-2016) – leader among the Pacific communities in Christchurch
Recently the Pacific Cultures team at Te Papa were informed of the passing of one our elders and leaders, Tufuga Holoatu Lagatule. She was born in Niue and came to New Zealand as a teenager in 1957. She became an important figure among the Pacific communities living in Christchurch, inRead more
2016-08-30
Co-collecting in Guåhan: Inside the Weavers Studio
On our recent co-collecting project in Guåhan with Humanities Guåhan we spent time in the workspaces of indigenous Chamorro blacksmiths, carvers and weavers. The next blog in our ‘inside the artist studio’ series delves into the practices of two weaving practitioners, James Bamba and Mark Benavente. Both artists have collaborated on severalRead more
2016-08-09
Co-collecting in Guåhan: Inside the Artists’ Studio
When you walk through an exhibition, it is easy to forget that the objects and taonga on display are the final products of a long creative process. While they may result from moments of inspiration or from countless studies, they are also formed by an artist’s ability to problem solve aRead more
2016-07-19
Artists’ hands: messages from Chamorro artists of Guåhan
“Slow it down…your minds and hands make it happen.” This is a message that master carver Jill Benavente passes onto to her apprentices as they journey together as artists. Their hands and the hands of many other artists are key tools in the strengthening and decolonising of contemporary indigenous ChamorroRead more
2016-06-08
Opinion: Curating for the Contemporary Pacific; 95 theses (New Zealand edition)
In the last six months, the arts and cultures of the Pacific have loomed large in New Zealand and Australia through a range of exhibitions, events and symposia. From Queensland’s Asia Pacific Triennial 8, the ground breaking 2016 Pacific Arts Association Symposium, Tautai’s Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust Arts 30 yearRead more
2016-05-20