On the weekend, 33 tattooists from around the world took part in Indigenous Ink 2015 – a tattooing festival held in Auckland at MIT Manukau. Te Papa was there at the invitation of organiser Terry Koloamatangi Klavenes. I had a small role hosting presentations and conversations among the tattooists and theirRead more

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“Taofi mau i au measina: Hold fast to your treasures” is the theme for Sāmoan language week 2014. We hope you have followed our tweets and Instagrams over the last few days. To close off this week we look at tatau (tattooing) – one of Sāmoa’s most well known cultural treasures. ThisRead more

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By Melissa Beseda On June 11th and June 12th, Te Papa hosted a Sāmoan Artist Exchange in celebration of Sāmoa’s 50 years of independence. Artists included weavers demonstrating ie toga (fine mat) techniques at the Weavers’ Studio area of our new exhibition Kahu Ora | Living Cloaks, tatau (tattoo) artists, masterRead more

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