Pacific Pre-Contact Culture and Customs Part 1

BACKGROUND

It is commonly held that the ancestors of Polynesians originated in the area around Taiwan and then moved south and east. They mixed with Melanesian peoples already living in Near Oceania, and over time the culture known as Lapita developed. 

Lapita people eventually settled Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, where the Polynesian culture emerged. Late in the first millennium Polynesians sailed east into French Polynesia. They then migrated to the Marquesas, Hawaii, Easter Island and New Zealand between 1200 and 1300 CE. 

Source: Pacific migrations - From West to East Polynesia - The direction and timing of settlement, Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand

CONTENTS

• Cook Islands
• Fiji
• Marquesas Islands
• Tahiti (Society Islands)
• Hawaii
• Kiribati
• New Caledonia
• Niue
• Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Tonga
• Vanuatu
• Glossary
• Supporting resources.

COOK ISLANDS

Lying roughly 1,500 km east of Samoa and 3,000 km north-east of Auckland, the 15 islands that make up the Cooks are scattered over an expanse of ocean the size of Mexico.

The islands form two distinct groups. The northern group consists of six low coral atolls, and the southern group are nine mostly volcanic, hilly islands. Rarotonga, the main island, is small – the road around it is only 31 km long. Other islands are even smaller.

Named after Captain James Cook, who sighted them on his voyage in 1773, the islands came under New Zealand administration in 1901. 

Source: Cook Islanders, Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand

QUICK FACTS

• The Cook Islands have had 4 names,  San Bernardo ( Alvaro de Menda a de Neira, 1595),  Gente Hermosa ( Pedro Fernandes de Queiros, 1606), Hervey Islands (James Cook, 1773) and Cook Islands (James Cook, 1820s).
• It is believed that sometime in the eleventh century AD the great chief To'i had an inland coral road built around Rarotonga which can still be seen to this day.
• The Cook Island creation narrative explains that the heavens were created when Varima-te-takere, a goddess, plucked Atea, the Skyfather, from her side.
• Paramount chiefs could not be tattooed (tātatau) because they held such important places in society they were considered too sacred to be blemished by human touch.
• Poke is a distinctively Cook Island food made from powered arrowroot in a long process which involves grating, washing and drying.
• Cook Islanders observe pakotianga raru (haircutting ceremony) for boys, to celebrate the child's passage into boyhood or the end of his boyhood.

FIJI

Fiji is an archipelago of 330 volcanic islands and atolls.  Approximately 110 of the islands have been inhabited. The land area is 18,272 square kilometres; Viti Levu and Vanua Levu account for 87 percent of the landmass.

The indigenous name of the islands is Viti, an Austronesian word meaning east or sunrise. Ethnic Fijians call themselves Kai Viti (the people of Viti) or i Taukei (the owners of the land). Until the advent of colonial rule in 1873, the population of Viti Levu, the principal island of the Fiji group, was divided into tribes and subtribes living in coastal areas and those in the highlands of the interior.

QUICK FACTS

• Fijian tradition tells that the first chief was known as Lutunasobasoba, who came from Lake Tanganyika in Africa, in a canoe called Kaunitoni.
• Chiefs (turaga) were considered living gods and ordinary people could not stand up in their presence or touch anything they owned.
• In the late eighteenth century, there was regular trade of red parrot feathers, pottery, decorated bark cloth and sandalwood with the peoples of Tonga and Samoa.
• Yaqona is the Fijian word for kava, a pepper-like plant that is used to produce a drink used in ceremonies such as births, marriages and deaths.
• One of the most precious objects in Fijian culture was the tabua, a shaped and polished whale tooth, which was once exchanged between cheifs as a sign of peace, as well as being presented during ceremonies like births, deaths and marriages.
• Reenactments of legends and stories from history involving song, dance and theater were known as meke, and were handed down through the generations.
• The weapon of choice in Fiji was the i-wau, or warrior club, which was often elaborately carved.

FRENCH POLYNESIA - MARQUESAS ISLANDS

The Marquesas Islands are a pair of volcanic archipelagos in the central South Pacific Ocean, 1,200 km northeast of Tahiti. Consisting of high jagged peaks, the largest island is 200 square kilometres.  Estimates of when the islands were inhabited range from 200-340 BCE, however the origins of the first inhabitants in uncertain. Habitation was mostly in narrow valleys, as the islands do not have coastal plains or coral reefs.

It seems likely that Marquesan societies developed in isolation from the rest of eastern Polynesian prior to European contacts in 1595 and 1774, as there is little evidence of cultural exchange. Marquesans were predominantly agriculturalists, cultivating breadfruit, bananas, plantains and tubers. They also traded among themselves in bird feathers for ornamentation, stone for adzes, as well as turmeric. 

QUICK FACTS

• Marquesans are unique in the Pacific for cultivating breadfruit, that was preserved and fermented in large pits.
• Etua or deities were believed to be vital for living a prosperous and safe life.  There was ao, the living world of light, and po, the world of ghosts and darkness.
• There were tau'a (shamans) who acted on the direction of deities, and tuhuna o'ono, reciters of chants during rituals and sacrifices.
• Spirits would come together at known locations on rocky headlands where they would dive into the sea, which represented the afterworld, known as Havai'i.
• Whale tooth ornaments such as hakakai (ear ornaments) were precious, especially as whales were not hunted, but only made use of when stranded.  
• U'u, or war clubs, were powerful physical and psychological weapons that were buried in taro patches to darken the heavy wood and then polished with coconut oil.
• Marquesans from the island of Yap traveled to Palau to quarry heavy blocks of limestone that were shaped into large round discs with a hole in the middle known as rai or fei, and were used as a form of money.

FRENCH POLYNESIA - TAHITI (SOCIETY ISLANDS)

The Polynesian ancestors of Māori settled New Zealand, so it is unsurprising that the Polynesian and Māori languages are very similar. Captain James Cook took the Tahitian chief Tupaia and his young servant Tayeto onboard the Endeavour in 1769. As Tupaia spoke some English and understood Māori, he could translate what Māori were saying to Cook. Tupaia and Tayeto were probably the first Pacific Islanders to see New Zealand since the era of Polynesian settlement.

French Polynesia is vast. It takes in the Society Islands (which include Tahiti), the Marquesas, Tuamotus, Australs and Gambiers. 

Source: South Pacific peoples - Island groups and recent migration, Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand

QUICK FACTS

• Early European visitors to French Polynesia noted that, compared to other island groups, women enjoyed greater equality with men.
• Chiefs demonstrated their power and influence by building impressive stone marae where important ceremonies took place.
• Traditional clothing for men was the maro (loin cloth) and for women, the pāreu or pareo (skirt).
• One type of drum was made by making holes in large rocks and beating the hole with the branch of a tree. These drums were used to call people to meetings and to accompany dancers.
• Tools used for tatau (tattoo) were made from bone, tortoiseshell or mother-of-pearl and black ink was made from the charcoal of the ti'a'iri, the candlenut tree.
• Tahiti was known for elaborate headdresses often made from palm fronds or tapa cloth and adorned with flowers, feathers, mother-of-pearl or black pearl.
• Traditional Tahitian foods included 'uru (breadfruit), coconut, banana, taro and kumara. Cooking was done in a ahima'a in a very similar way to cooking in a hangi.

HAWAII

The people of Hawaii are descendants of Polynesians, who began settling in the South Pacific islands around 1100 B.C. They are believed to have reached the Hawaiian Islands sometime between AD 300 and 500. The largest island was known as Havaiki.

Taro, coconuts, bananas, breadfruit and yams made up much of the diet. The paper mulberry (wauke) was pounded and bleached to make kapa or bark-cloth. Ti, a lily plant, provided leaves for skirts and the roots were used for matting or to make a drink called okolehao.

Prior to European settlement, native Hawaiians viewed land as common property. The interests of the common people, the king, and the chiefs were considered one and the same and the relationship was mutually beneficial. The arrival of European settlers and their differing ideas of title and ownership ended this practice.

QUICK FACTS

• Lei (garlands) were originally made out of bones, teeth, sticks and kukui nuts. Kukui nut lei were only worn by Alii (royalty) and were created to honour or decorate a person, or as a sign of affection. 
• Hula dancers were trained in a sacred venue known as the hula halau. After a graduation ceremony (uniki) the dancer would move from the temple to the court and he or she was allowed to perform for the aristocracy. 
• Storytelling was an important Hawaiian tradition, including legends like that of the King of Ku-ai-he-lani, which is similar to the western tale of Cinderella.
• Menehunes were 'small people' believed to be responsible when something was misplaced. 
• Priests were consulted about the consumption of food and not everyone was allowed to eat every species of fish. Women were allowed to eat shrimp and shellfish, but rarely fish.
• Boys and girls were taught different skills growing up - boys learnt to plant, cultivate, cook and fish, and girls also learnt to cook as well as how to prepare tapa cloth.
• Gods were worshipped in open-air temples called heiau. The primary deities were Kane (the creator and chief god), Ku (god of war and male fertility), Lono (god of thunder and agriculture) and Kanaloa (god of the ocean and winds).

KIRIBATI

Kiribati is a transliteration of Gilberts, the name given to the islands by the British in the 1800s. The Kiribati name for the islands is Tungaru, and the people refer to themselves as I-Tungaru. 

There are 33 islands in the equatorial archipelago scattered over millions of square kilometres; sixteen in the western Tungaru chain, eighteen in the Phoenix Islands, eight islands in the Line Islands, and Banaba, or Ocean Island. Most are coral atolls with lagoons.

The islands are threatened by the rising sea levels associated with climate change, as they are no more than six meters above sea level at the highest points. There is no fresh surface water on the islands and the soils are thin and infertile.

QUICK FACTS

• Te Mwaie ni Kiribati was the traditional dance, unique to these islands, that reflects the frigate bird and the pacific golden plover in flight.
• Te Boo Rabwata, or wrestling, was an ancient customary sport in Kiribati where opponents tried to throw each other off their feet.
• A fermented alcoholic drink called Kaokioki or Timbakatai was made from fermenting the flowers of the coconut tree.
• Weapons included swords, spears and clubs and were often made with dozens of shark teeth bound to wood with coconut fiber - sometimes fish skin was added to the handle to improve grip.
• In battle, men, women, children and elders all fought and had different roles such as using spears, carrying swords, and using slingshots.
• Thick armour for combat was made from coconut fibre, along with dried shark and stingray skin. Puffer fish were dried and used as helmets.

NEW CALEDONIA

New Caledonia in the South Pacific is situated approximately 1,200 kilometers east of Australia and 1,500 kilometers northwest of New Zealand. Settled by Melanesians, the islands are believed to have been largely isolated until late in the 18th century.

Known as Kanaks, the local people have developed a rich culture over a long period, typified by a strong connection to the land, clans and chieftainships, elaborate ceremony and the cultivation of staple foods such as yam and taro. Society was stratified, with high-ranking people acting as chiefs.

Captain Cook sighted the islands in 1774 and named them New Caledonia after the poetic name for Scotland (Caledonia), as the purple colour of the hills reminded him of Scottish hills covered in purple heather.

QUICK FACTS

• The native inhabitants of New Caledonia were the Kanak people.
• Kanak architecture included striking round houses, adorned with elaborate wood carvings, that were powerful symbols of the prestige of chiefs.
• Kare u ta, made of bamboo, are believed to be have been used in ceremonial rights of passage. They were decorated using sharp pieces of flint or shell.
• Kanak people had a form of jade that was highly valued and used to make meciwe, or jade bead necklaces, that could only be owned by the wives of chiefs.
• When women married, they were often gifted coils of the fur of flying fox, the only mammal on the islands, and considered delicious to eat.
• Telling the stories of things like births, marriages and battles, a customary dance was known as pilou.   

NIUE

A small coral island between Tonga, Samoa and the Cook Islands, Niue is 261 square kilometres in area. Originally called Nukututaha by the first inhabitants, Captain Cook sighted the island in 1774,  naming it Prince Frederic's Island. However, due to the violence of his encounters with the islanders it was re-named the Savage Islands. Unlike other island nations, Niue consists of just one island.

It has been suggested that people originally settled the islands from Samoa and Tonga, as well as from Pukapuka in the Cook Islands. Customs tell of the first settlement by Huanaki and Fao.

QUICK FACTS

• The name Niue comes from the phrase 'behold the coconut'.
• The island lacks stone, so most tools were made from coral and shell.
• Cook's reports of the war like nature of the people on these islands meant that the 'Savage Island' were often bypassed by European voyagers to the Pacific.
• Niuean tapa cloth is unique for its distinctive hand-painted chevron and cross-hatch designs.
• Kafa lauulu (belts), made of human hair, were highly valued items worn by toa (warriors) as a mark of status. The belts, woven by women, could be made more valuable by the inclusion of feathers.
• When Cook and his crew attempted to land on Niue, they were confronted with warriors using maka or throwing stones, highly polished oval-shaped stones that were the first weapons used in any conflict.
• Katoua, formidable weapons made of hardwood and measuring between 900mm and 1800mm were unique to Niue and are believed to have been used like a taiaha.

RAPA NUI (EASTER ISLAND)

The people who settled on Rapa Nui in approximately AD 400 established a unique and complex culture on this very isolated, rocky island that flourished for hundreds of years.

The people are renowned for the nearly one thousand large stone statues called moai that they created and erected on stone alters around the island using only tools made from stone, bone and coral.

Named Easter Island by the first European visitor, Dutch sea captain Jacob Roggeveen in 1722, the people spoke a language known as Rapanui. By this time, the island was in crisis as food was in short supply and war was being waged between rival clans.

QUICK FACTS

• Custom says that the people of Rapa Nui are the descendants of the great Polynesian king and navigator, Hotu Matu'a.
• The second group of people to arrive on the island elongated their earlobes and were known in early translations of stories about the island as Long Ears.
• Totora reeds, that grew in the crater lake, Rano Raruku, were bound together to make swimming rafts that were not dissimilar to small surfboards.
• Studies of ancient skeletons from the island suggest that the people had a diet high in sugar, as their teeth showed lots of tooth decay.
• Porpoises formed a large part of the people's diet, which would have been harpooned at sea from large canoes; when the trees on the island were all cut down, no more canoes could be made and the people were no longer able to hunt for porpoise.
• Wooden tablets inscribed with detailed symbols resembling writing are called rongorongo, however, it is not known exactly what these were used for.

SAMOA

Samoans are the original inhabitants of the Samoa Islands, which lie north of New Zealand between latitude 13° and 15° south. The two large islands are Upolu and Savai‘i, and the only other inhabited islands are Manono and Apolima. About 80 km south-east is Tutuila, the principal island of the smaller territory of American Samoa. 

Archaeological and linguistic evidence suggests that Samoa, Fiji and Tonga may be the original homelands of the Polynesians. It was from these islands that, some 2,000 years ago, Polynesians settled the rest of the South Pacific, eventually reaching New Zealand.

Over the centuries Samoans exchanged news, trade and marriage partners with neighbouring Pacific peoples (mainly Fijians and Tongans). The first European to sight the islands was a Dutchman, Jacob Roggeveen, in 1722. Later, the French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville called Samoa’s islands ‘the Navigator Islands’. 

Source: Samoans - History and migration, Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand

QUICK FACTS

• When people first arrived in Samoa they used local stone to build large walls and roads used for ceremonies.
• People were not united across the islands, but instead, there were councils of chiefs who ruled villages of family groups.
• Early Samoans commonly dressed in maro (girdle for men) and titi (skirts made of leaves). For important occasions, people would wear garments made of tapa cloth (siapo).
• The dried skin of stingrays (faiili) was used as sandpaper, particularly in the construction of canoes. 
• Boys aged 12 or 13 underwent a painful right of passage, tattau (tattoo) from their waist to their knees, undertaken by a tufuga (tattoo artist).
• Customary Samoan dance includes the sāsā, performed seated, and fa'ataupati, performed by men only and involving rhythmic slapping of the body.
• The kava ceremony was a very important formal custom in Samoa. The three items essential to the ceremony are the tānoa fai'ava (kava bowl), the tautu 'ava (kava server) and the ipu tau 'ava (kava cup) made from coconut shell.
• Specialist orators, or Tulāfale, would speak with a fue (fly whisk).
• People slept on mats on the floor of the fale (house) with a thick piece of bamboo for a pillow and a piece of siapo as a blanket.
• Ornaments were very common including necklaces made of shells, sharks teeth or flowers, frontlets worn on the forehead also made of shells and flowers, as well as mother-of-pearl and rings, often made from coconut.

SOLOMON ISLANDS

The first European to visit the Solomon Islands was Spanish explorer Alvaro de Mendana de Neira in 1568. The island group got it's European name as the explorer was rumoured to have located where the biblical king Solomon sourced gold.

The Solomons are situated in Melanesia and consist of a collection of coral atolls and chains of volcanic islands.

Settled by at least 2000 BCE, pottery from the Lapita culture has been found here. Other archaeological finds dating to approximately 1000 BCE have been found at Vatuluma Cave (Guadalcanal), Santa Ana Island as well as the islands of Anuta and Tikopia.

QUICK FACTS

• Most land in the Solomon Islands was controlled by clan groups, and was not considered to be 'owned', rather their connection to the land was such that it was believed the land owned the people.
• At feasts, guests were given betel nuts to chew to top off a good meal.
• It was the custom that marriages were arranged by parents and other family elders and took place between people from different clans.
• Knowledge, wisdom and magical powers were considered heirlooms along with material possessions and were part of what was handed down to children from parents.
• As a sign of respect, it was customary not to make eye contact when speaking to a woman who was not a relative.
• It was believed that the help of ancestors, who were present after death, could be requested, including to take revenge on enemies.
• People who passed away were kept above ground for as long as possible to allow for a proper grieving process and it was said that the person 'took the next boat' to the other world.
• In the Solomon Islands, every illness had an explanation or spiritual cause and there were remedies for most diseases.

TONGA

Tongans are the original inhabitants of the Tongan Islands in the South Pacific. According to archaeological and linguistic research, they are the descendants of people who left Fiji and other parts of Melanesia to settle West Polynesia, including Tonga, some 3,000 or more years ago. 

The first European sighting of Tonga was made by the Dutch explorers Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire. Captain James Cook, who named Tonga ‘the Friendly Islands’, stayed for three months in 1777. English Methodist missionaries arrived in the 1820s, devising the first Tongan written language and teaching Christian values and beliefs. From this time onwards the Tongan way, or anga faka-Tonga, evolved as a mixture of traditional beliefs and Christian values. 

Important strands of anga faka-Tonga are faka‘apa‘apa (respect), talangofua (obedience), fakaongoongo (waiting and listening for instructions), and ‘ofa (reciprocal sharing and helping). 

Source: Tongans - Migrations, Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand

QUICK FACTS

• In Tonga, women from high ranking families held significant power and as a result, were often married off by their male family members to Fijian leaders.
• Yam, a root crop common throughout the islands, was used as a way to display wealth and prestige to others.
• When Europeans arrived, the islands were peaceful due to the unified but ruthless leadership of the Tu'i Tonga dynasty.
• During the 50 year period of civil war in the 1770s, a northern chief put a white pig in power as an insult to his rivals and the customary way of doing things.
• Foreigners were not permitted to purchase land in Tonga, and in this way, the nation maintained its independence, which it still has today.
• Making tapa cloth was women's work in Tonga. The finished decorated cloth was called ngatu.
• Dance was a significant part of Tonga culture; as part of a dance called me'etu'upaki (paddle dance), dancers used paddle-shaped boards decorated with designs representing the human body.
• Maui, a significant god in Tonga, is said to have fished the islands up from the ocean.
• Gifts of food and cloth were offered to the Tu'i Tonga twice a  year, and in a ceremony called 'inasi', the gifts were transferred to the gods.

VANUATU

Known as ni-Vanuatu, the people of Vanuatu are of Melanesian descent. Archaeologists suggest that the islands were settled from the west by the Lapita people by 1300 BCE. 

In 1774, Captain Cook explored the islands and named them New Hebrides after the Hebrides Scottish archipelago. They are a chain of islands located in the southwest Pacific 800 km west of Fiji and 1,770 km east of Australia. The islands extend north-south for 650 km. 

The people of Vanuatu lived in small villages where their time was spent gathering and growing food. They had a strong attachment to the land which they saw as an important link with the past. 

QUICK FACTS

• Vanuatu was known for 'land diving', a celebration of the yam harvest and an ancient rite of passage for young men, involving jumping from a high tower with only a rope tied around each ankle.
• There were over one hundred different languages spoken in Vanuatu.
• Laplap was a ceremonial pudding made from roots mixed with coconut and sometimes greens and meat like pig.
• A man of title displayed his rank through adornment, costume and the style and size of his house.
• Huge slit drums made from hollowed-out tree trunks were owned by men of status and used at special gathering places to beat out rhythms for dancing, as well as to signal.
• Woven loincloths were worn by men, with the patterns indicating which family group they belonged to.
• Nakamal were large community meeting houses with a flattened clearing at the front called nasara used for dancing. Access to nakamal was for men only.
• Men would gather at night to connect with the dead and attempt to control the realm of the spirits.

GLOSSARY

Definitions below taken from theOxford Learner's Dictionary. 

administration- the government of a country, especially the US.

archeologist - a person who studies archeology.

archipelago- a group of islands and the sea surrounding them. 

chevron- a line or pattern in the shape of a V.

deities - the estate or rank of a god; godhood; the personality of a god.

ethnic- connected with or belonging to a nation or people that shares a cultural tradition.

equatorial - near the equator or typical of a country that is near the equator.

fermented- to experience a chemical change because of the action of yeast or bacteria, often changing sugar to alcohol; to make something change in this way. 

heirloom - a valuable object that has belonged to the same family for many years.

infertile- not able to produce good crops.

inscribed- to write or cut words, your name, etc. onto something. 

latitude- the distance of a place north or south of the equator (= the line around the world dividing north and south), measured in degrees. 

linguistics- the scientific study of language or of particular languages. 

millennium - a period of 1 000 years, especially as calculated before or after the birth of Christ. 

ornamentation- the use of objects, designs, etc. to decorate something. 

prestige- the respect and value that somebody/something has because of their social position, or what they have done. 

psychological - connected with a person’s mind and the way in which it works.

reenactment- an activity that repeats the actions of a past event, especially as an entertainment. 

stratified- to arrange something in layers or strata. 

transliteration- the act of writing words or letters using letters of a different alphabet or language. 

SUPPORTING RESOURCES

PAN PACIFIC RESOURCES

Australian Museum Pacific Collection —  the collections represent living cultures with thousands of artworks, cultural technologies and archaeological material from across Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. 

The British Museum Oceania Collection — the British Museum has some of the world's most important collections of art and artefacts from Oceania.  

Combs in the Pacific Islands — throughout the Pacific Islands, combs have long been worn in the hair as an item of adornment.   

God figure carving — information about a carved figure that fits within a Pan-Pacific carving style. 

Hawai'i's technicoloured cloak of extinction— Ahu‘ula, or woven cloaks, were particularly important in Hawaiian society as status symbols for ali‘i, or chiefs.

Ipu or gourd— Out of all the Moana Pacific nations, the Hawaiians utilized ipu the most. The ipu, or gourd, contains a holistic role within Hawaiian history and culture.

'Isa Lei' the much-loved Pacific song and its power to move — an explanation as to why the song 'Isa Lei' sparks a feeling of nostalgia for Pasifika people.

Museums Victoria Pacific Cultures — the Pacific Cultures Collection comprises around 20,000 artefacts and over 8,000 images from Melanesia, Polynesia and Micronesia.   

Pacific canoes — to explore the Pacific, early voyagers needed canoes that were strong and seaworthy. 

Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery World Cultures Collection (Pacific) — this collection consists of approximately 2000 items from Australia, New Zealand (Aotearoa) and many of the Pacific island groups such as Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Hawaii, Tonga, Fiji, Tahiti and Easter Island (Rapa Nui).  

Tales from Te Papa, Pacific Cultures — Tales of Te Papa stories from TKI (Identity, Culture & Organisation).

Tatooing in the Pacific — the process of tattooing, and the ceremonies associated with it, were as significant as the tattoos themselves.  

Tales from Te Papa, Pacific Cultures — Tales of Te Papa stories from TKI (Continuity & Change).Tapa of the Pacific- tapa or barkcloth made from the inner bark of certain trees is one of the most distinctive products of the cultures of the Pacific islands. 

Tapa: Pacific style — for centuries, people across the Pacific have created beautiful and functional tapa cloth from the inner bark of a range of tropical trees.  

Traditional Pacific Island crops — information on twelve important traditional Pacific Island crops.

COOK ISLANDS

Ruatangaeo (ceremonial adze) — adzes were prized not only as tools but as material property of wealth. 

FIJI

Fijian treasures that are treasured — in 2016, a team from Auckland Museum approached their Fijian community to bring a cultural richness to their collection. 

Magimagi (coconut fiber) — in Fiji, the fibre of the coconut husk is made into magimagi.  

Tabua (ceremonial whale tooth) — in Pacific Island society, some objects can have a 'spiritual' value that far outweighs their actual ‘market’ value.

HAWAII

`Aumakua hulu manu Kūka`ilimoku (feathered image) — feathered images were made in the same way as Hawaiian mahiole (feathered helmets).   

Ipu: An abundance of Hawaiian history and culture — the gourd, otherwise described as ipu, contains a holistic role within Hawaiian history and culture. 

The gift of kapa — kapa (bark cloth) is a form of textile that was once used solely for dress and other benefits in Ancient Hawai’i before the introduction of cotton.  

NIUE

Auckland Libraries history and culture of Niue — a curated selection of Auckland Libraries books celebrating Niue.

SAMOA

Fue (fly whisk) — fue are carried by tulafale or high chiefs when they are acting as an orator and presenting lauga (ceremonial speeches).   

'ie tōga (fine mat) — in Samoa a special type of mat - the ‘ie tōga  - is never used on the floor of a fale (house), but plays an important part in Samoan culture.    

Samoan tatau — the most important Samoan tatau (tattoo) for men is the pe’a – dense tattooing which completely covers the lower body from waist to knee. 

Tanoa fai`ava (kava bowl) — historically, the manufacture of tanoa fai'ava was a specialised task and certain villages in Samoa acquired a reputation for producing quality work.  

Tuiga: a Samoan ceremonial headdress — wearing the tuiga is a privilege only extended to members of certain families with rank and status.

Va'aalo (bonito canoe) — according to early nineteenth-century accounts, va'aalo were manned by two people and used to chase large schools of surface-feeding fish, such as the bonito.  

TAHITI

Chief mourner’s costume — when a chief died, the bereaved family would arrange for a group of mourners to grieve publicly for the dead person. 

Matau (fish hook) — fishhooks came in a range of sizes and materials and were made in shell and also wood.  

TOKELAU

The history of Tokelau tatau and tattooing — the key accounts of tatau (tattooing) in Tokelau were recorded in the 1800s by European explorers and other observers. 

Tuluma – fishing boxes of Tokelau — tuluma is the name given to wooden boxes that are used to carry fishing gear in canoes or as storage containers in the home.  

Weaving in Tokelau: Novena's story — Novena Petelo explains how she learnt traditional Tokelauan weaving techniques from her mother, and about some of the tools she uses in her practice.

TUVALU

Through the lens: Daily life in Tuvalu 1886 — whilst on a tour of the Pacific on the schooner Buster (September 1886 – April 1887) Thomas Andrew made stops in the low lying coral atolls of Funafuti and Nui in Tuvalu. 

This story was curated and compiled by Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa | National Library of New Zealand, Services to Schools staff, April 2020.