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
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
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
“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
Senior Curator Pacific Cultures Sean Mallon looks at what the archival and published record tells us about tattooing in Tokelau.Read more
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
Check out the new publication from Te Papa Press: Tatau: Samoan Tattoo, New Zealand Art, Global Culture Photographs by Mark Adams, with essays by Sean Mallon, Peter Brunt and Nicholas Thomas One hundred memorable images by documentary photographer Mark Adams present a powerful and moving portraits of a great PolynesianRead more
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