Tangata o le Moana: the Story of Pacific People in New Zealand opens at Te Papa on 20 October with a three day festival of Pacific festival featuring the best of Pacific, dance, film, workshops and hip-hop, proudly supported by New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT).
‘New Zealand’s identity has been shaped by a long and dynamic history with other islands in the Pacific and Tangata o le Moana features the highs and the lows of those relationships from ancient times to present day’, said Dr Claudia Orange, Te Papa’s Director History & Pacific Cultures.
Tangata o le Moana tells the story of Pacific people, past and present, the contributions they have made to New Zealand and the impact New Zealand has had upon them and their cultures. Featuring new research by Te Papa curators, visitors will see ancient vaka (canoes), old favourites such as Michel Tuffery’s Pisupo lua afe (Corned beef 2000), fabulous jewellery and costumes, innovative interactives that let the visitor mix their own Pacific beats, or navigate across the Pacific ocean and a completely refurbished PlaNet Pasifika Discovery Centre.
Te Papa will be transformed by an exciting and vibrant three day festival to celebrate the opening of Tangata o le Moana from 11am on Saturday 20 October. The festival features performers from all over New Zealand including The Laughing Samoans, King Kapisi, Pauley Fuemana of OMC fame and Nesian Mystic. Visitors will be able to join in with hula (with Sione’s Wedding star Maryjane McKibbin-Schwenke), drumming and ukulele workshops and see Pacific films in Soundings Theatre on Level 2. On Te Papa’s Marae, Pacific mamas speak out about their experiences in New Zealand and The Rasta, The Rev, and The Rapper (Tigi Ness, Reverend Mua Strickson- Pua and Te Kupu) entertain with performance poetry while collection managers give a special insight into the Pacific collection at Te Papa.
'NZCT is proud to provide funding for Tangata o le Moana. The exhibition is a wonderful celebration of New Zealand’s cultural diversity and our support is made possible through the hard work of our venue operators around the country', said NZCT chief executive, Mr Mike Knell.
Chronological in sequence, visitors enter the exhibition, Tangata o le Moana, under a stunning portal by Tongan-born artist Filipe Tohi alongside the rare Cook Islands vaka Tauhunu, one of only three such surviving vaka in the world. Visitors are introduced to the many ancestral links New Zealand shares with the Pacific through language, archaeology, design and voyaging. Using interactive technology, ancient methods of navigation can be explored alongside large-scale models of ocean-going vaka (canoes).
The second segment focuses on the evolving relationships between New Zealand and the wider Pacific from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. New research by Te Papa curators pieces together the stories of early Pacific immigrants to New Zealand and their many contributions such as the Melanesian missionaries’ who trained in Auckland and the Pacific soldiers who fought for New Zealand during World Wars I and II. It also examines of the impact of New Zealand’s imperial ambitions in the wider Pacific as highlighted by the fine mat given to Prime Minister Helen Clark by the Tamasese family in 2002 in response to the New Zealand government’s apology for injustices that occurred during New Zealand’s administration of Samoa from 1914 – 1962.
Moving through the exhibition visitors will be confronted by a series of ‘living portraits’. In a collection of inspirational, poignant and sometimes hard-hitting interviews, individuals from a variety of Pacific nations tell their experiences of migrating to and settling in New Zealand during the latter half of the twentieth century. A scale model of a ‘banana boat’ illustrates some of reasons why Pacific people immigrated to New Zealand and contrasts with a display of objects representing ‘home’ from the seven Pacific nations with the highest representation in New Zealand: Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Tokelau, and Tuvalu.
Finally, the exhibition looks at Pacific identities today – in the Pacific, New Zealand and globally. Visitors will discover how Pacific people continue to influence New Zealand society – through culture, sport, politics, television and film and arts and design. Artists such as Ann Robinson and Warwick Freeman explain the Pacific influence on their works, while beautiful tapa and tīvaevae demonstrate the continuation of these traditions in New Zealand. An innovative music interactive, allows the visitor remix the sounds of artists like Bill Sevesi, Fat Freddy’s Drop, and OMC.
Tangata o le Moana: The Story of Pacific People in New Zealand will be on display from 20 October on Level 4, Te Papa. The exhibition was developed in consultation with Pacific community groups from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch and is proudly supported by NZTC. Entry is free.
Events programme
Saturday 20 October 2007
11am - 5pm Throughout Te Papa Free entry
Today’s highlights include King Kapisi, Legacy Dance Crew, The Laughing Samoans, renowned artist Ani O’Neil. See the fabulous drag-a-licious Diva Sivas, and Brother Love (hit song ‘Ruketekete’) jamming live with ukulele maestro Chuck Upu. more>>
Saturday Night Siva
Saturday 20 October 2007, 7pm - 10pm Wellington Foyer, Level 2 $20 per person (includes Pacific buffet), $15 per person for a group of 10.
A night of Polynesian music. dance and food. Featuring Vaimutu Allstars Band and Brother Love (hit song 'Ruketekete) & Ukulele Maestro Chuck Upu playing Pacific siva favourites with guest acts including Buckwheat & drag-a-licious trio Diva Siva. more>>
Sunday 21 October 2007
11am - 5pm Throughout Te Papa Free entry
Sunday’s highlights include Pacific Underground Tha Feelstyle, MC Antsman, Siliga David Setoga from PopoHardWare, Staff Sergeant Theodore Marama of the New Zealand Army, and Pauly Fuemana performs with Herman Loto on the Hip Hop Stage. more>>
Monday 22 October 2007
11am - 5pm Throughout Te Papa Free entry Monday’s highlights include Frontman for the Footsouljahs, MC Flowz is ringmaster for Monday’s Hip Hop Stage. Hear the fresh and unique style of award-winning Polynesian hip-hop/pop sensation Nesian Mystik. more>>
Tangata o le Moana: The Story of Pacific People in New Zealand
20 October 2007 - 2012
Level 4, Te Papa
Free entry
ENDS
For further information and images, please contact:
Jane Keig, Manager Communications, 029 601 0180, 04 381 7083, janek@tepapa.govt.nz; or
Paul Brewer, Director Marketing & Communications, 04 381 7023, 021 532 920, paulb@tepapa.govt.nz