Cook Islands art

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Wood carving is a common art form in the Cook Islands. Sculpture in stone is much rarer although there are some excellent carvings in basalt by Mike Tavioni. The proximity of islands in the southern group helped produce a homogeneous style of carving but which had special developments in each island. Rarotonga is known for its fisherman's gods and staff-gods, Atiu for its wooden seats, Mitiaro, Mauke and Atiu for mace and slab gods and Mangaia for its ceremonial adzes. Most of the original wood carvings were either spirited away by early European collectors or were burned in large numbers by missionary zealots.

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Today, carving is no longer the major art form with the same spiritual and cultural emphasis given to it by the Maori in New Zealand. However, there are continual efforts to interest young people in their heritage and some good work is being turned out under the guidance of older carvers. Atiu, in particular, has a strong tradition of crafts both in carving and local fibre arts such as tapa. Mangaia is the source of many fine adzes carved in a distinctive, idiosyncratic style with the so-called double-k design. Mangaia also produces food pounders carved from the heavy calcite found in its extensive limestone caves. [1]

Carving

Carving was an important part of ancient Cook Islands culture, although much of this is lost. Ancient Cook Islanders carved the poles of their huts, their canoes and weapons (clubs and spears). The patterns used were the same as that used in tattooing and dyed on tapa cloth. It is believed that families had their own symbols, much like some British families have crests. [2]

Staff god

Left: Staff god (atua rakau) Right: Slab god (unu) Artifacts from the Cook Islands.jpg
Left: Staff god (atua rakau) Right: Slab god (unu)

Cult figures called staff god or atua rakau from Rarotonga, apparently combine images of gods with their human descendants. They range in length between 28 inches (71 cm) and 18 feet (5.5 m) and were carried and displayed horizontally. At one end there is a schematized blade-shaped head and arms of the progenitive god with a succession of little figures rising from his body, alternatively full-face and in profile with penis erect. The staff itself terminated in a phallus. But this elaborately carved sexual imagery had less importance for the Rarotongans than the feathers and pieces of shell representing the soul of the god and enclosed in yards of bark cloth wound around the center of the staff. [3]

Fisherman's god

A number of images called the fisherman's god are found in museums. These images are likely to be of the sea god Tangaroa . [4] Their function rests solely on the authority of John Williams, who figured one of them and referred to it thus:

"An idol, of which the figure on the opposite side is a correct representation, was placed on the fore part of every fishing canoe; and when the natives were going on a fishing expedition, prior to setting off, they invariably presented offerings to the god, and invoked him to grant them success." [5]

Weaving

The outer islands produce traditional weaving of fans, mats, basketware and hats. Particularly fine examples of rito hats are worn by women to church on Sundays. They are made from the uncurled fibre of the coconut palm and are of very high quality. The Polynesian equivalent of Panama hats, they are highly valued and are keenly sought by Polynesian visitors from Tahiti. Often, they are decorated with hatbands made of minuscule pupu shells which are painted and stitched on by hand. Although pupu are found on other islands, the collection and use of them in decorative work has become a speciality of Mangaia. [6]

Tattoo

Tattooing was forbidden in the Cook Islands after the arrival of missionaries, but has recently become popular again. Historically the Cook Islands tribes or clans each usually recognized a particular fish, bird, insect or plant that was sacred to that tribe and symbolized its unity. The ritual association requires members of the clan to treat the totem with respect. Its supernatural help could also be sought in times of distress. The symbol for the centipede with a poisonous bite is a common totem of chiefs and was normally tattooed on the chief's back.

Captain James Cook recorded tatau as the Tahitian term when he arrived there in 1769, although tatau is not the only word for this art form. In some French Polynesian islands and some Cook Islands it was known as nana'o. [7]

Tīvaevae / Tivaivai

Woman sewing a tivaevae, Rarotonga. Woman sewing a tivaevae, Rarotonga.jpg
Woman sewing a tīvaevae, Rarotonga.

A major art form peculiar to the Cook Islands is tīvaevae / tivaivai. This is needlework, specifically the making of patchwork quilts by hand. The designs are stunning. These beautiful and intricate works are made by women. They have great intrinsic value and become family heirlooms.

They are often given as gifts of love and friendship. They supplanted the traditional giving of tapa cloth on ceremonial occasions such as weddings, funerals and hair-cutting. Tīvaevae / tivaivai is a communal activity and several women will work on them together. The original idea was introduced by the wives of missionaries from England and nuns from Tahiti (Tifaifai in Tahiti) who taught embroidery, needlework, sewing and crochet.

Tivaevae / tivaivai has played an important role in the daily life of Cook Island women. Since it is largely a social activity, it is nearly always carried out communally, it has had a major impact on the lives of the many women who practise it. Despite its European origin, patterns and techniques have evolved into styles which now belong quite distinctly to the Cooks. The tivaevae / tivaivai reflect the women's surroundings and usually employ designs of flowers, leaves, birds, fish, insects and animals. [8]

Vereara Maeva-Taripo [9] and Tungane Broadbent are important tīvaevae / tivaivai artists. [10] Their work are in the overseas collections in Queensland Art Gallery, [11] Christchurch Art Gallery [12] and British Museum, [13] as well as locally in Cook Islands National Museum. [14]

Contemporary art

Contemporary Artists Eruera Nia and Tim Buchanan are featured at the new International Terminal, Rarotonga Airport. 36 of Nia's concrete casts are positioned throughout the terminal while Buchanan's 10 metre mural farewell's passengers as they are processed through customs and security. In late 2010, two of Nia's sculptures were acquired for the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Australia. [15]

Mahiriki Tangaroa produced a series of paintings depicting pre-Christianity gods of the Cook Islands titled Kaveinga – Angels of the Ocean, presented by Bergman Gallery in Venice, Italy as part of European Cultural Centre: Personal Structures in 2022 coinciding Venice Biennale. [16] Other notable Contemporary Cook Islands artists includes Ian George, [17] Kay George, [18] Sylvia Marsters, Nina Oberg Humphries, [19] and Joan Gragg. [20] Mike Tavioni is an important carver. [21] Bergman Gallery is a contemporary dealer gallery in Rarotonga that exhibits all the artists mentioned, and regularly participates in art fairs around the world, especially Aotearoa Art Fair (previously known as Auckland Art Fair) [22] [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cook Islands</span> Country in the South Pacific Ocean

The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately 236.7 square kilometres (91 sq mi). The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers 1,960,027 square kilometres (756,771 sq mi) of ocean. Avarua is its capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tivaevae</span> Polynesian form of artistic quilting

Tivaevae or tivaivai in the Cook Islands, tifaifai in French Polynesia, is a form of artistic quilting traditionally done by Polynesian women. The word literally means "patches", in reference to the pieces of material sewn together. The tivaevae are either made by one woman or can be created in groups of women called vainetini. The vainetini use this time together to bond, sing and catch up on village news.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mangaia</span> Second largest of the Cook Islands

Mangaia is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga. It is a roughly circular island, with an area of 51.8 square kilometres (20.0 sq mi), 203 kilometres (126 mi) from Rarotonga. Originally heavily populated, Mangaia's population has dropped by 75% in the last 50 years, mainly due to the decline of the pineapple industry in the 1980s and a subsequent economic crisis in 1996.

Cook Islands Māori is an Eastern Polynesian language that is the official language of the Cook Islands. Cook Islands Māori is closely related to New Zealand Māori, but is a distinct language in its own right. Cook Islands Māori is simply called Māori when there is no need to disambiguate it from New Zealand Māori, but it is also known as Māori Kūki ʻĀirani or, controversially, Rarotongan. Many Cook Islanders also call it Te reo Ipukarea, literally "the language of the Ancestral Homeland".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fatu Feu'u</span> New Zealand artist

Fatu Akelei Feu'u is a noted Samoan painter from the village of Poutasi in the district of Falealili in Samoa. He has established a reputation as the elder statesman of Pacific art in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of the Cook Islands</span>

The culture of the Cook Islands reflects the traditions of its fifteen islands as a Polynesian island country, spread over 1,800,000 square kilometres (690,000 sq mi) in the South Pacific Ocean. It is in free association with New Zealand. Its traditions are based on the influences of those who settled the islands over several centuries. Polynesian people from Tahiti settled in the Cook Islands in the 6th century. The Portuguese captain, Pedro Fernandes de Queirós, made the first recorded European landing in the islands in the early 17th century, and well over a hundred years later, in the 18th century, the British navigator, Captain James Cook arrived, giving the islands their current name. Missionaries developed a written language, bringing schools and Christianity to the Cook Islands in the early 19th century. Cook Islands Māori, also known as Māori Kūki 'Āirani or Rarotongan, is the country's official language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ani O'Neill</span> New Zealand artist

Ani O'Neill is a New Zealand artist of Cook Island and Irish descent. She has been described by art historian Karen Stevenson as one of the core members of a group of artists of Pasifika descent who brought contemporary Pacific art to "national prominence and international acceptance".

Te Moemoea no Iotefa was the first exhibition held in a civic art gallery in New Zealand focused on contemporary Pacific art.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Tavioni</span> Cook Islands artist and writer

Mitaera Ngatae Teatuakaro Michael Tavioni is a Cook Islands artist and writer. A master carver, he has been described as a taonga (treasure). His role in the pacific art community is recognised from New Zealand to Hawaii.

Mere Tepaeru Tereora is a Cook Islands artist and educator. Her Tivaevae work is internationally recognised and displayed in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. She is also a significant figure in the revival of Cook Islands Māori, establishing language nests for it in New Zealand. She was the sister of writer Kauraka Kauraka.

Mahiriki Tangaroa is a New Zealand-born Cook Islands photographer and painter. She is a former director of the Cook Islands National Museum. She is recognised as a leading contemporary Cook Islands artist, and her work is regularly exhibited in galleries in New Zealand and the Cook Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cook Islands National Museum</span> Museum in Avarua, Cook Islands

The Cook Islands National Museum is a museum in Avarua on Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands. Its collection includes contemporary and historic artefacts, as well as replicas of objects in foreign institutions.

Vereara Maeva-Taripo was a Cook Islander political organizer also known for her quilting of tivaevae.

Andy Leleisi’uao is a New Zealand artist of Samoan heritage known for his modern and post-modern Pacific paintings and art. He was paramount winner at the 26th annual Wallace Art Awards in 2017 and awarded a Senior Pacific Artist Award at the Arts Pasifika Awards in 2021.

Reuben Paterson is a New Zealand artist based in New York, United States known for using glitter in his works.

Glenda Tuaine is an event, arts producer and promoter based in Rarotonga. Tuaine is Company Director of Motone Productions, a creative production company based in Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Tahiti and Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. In 2019 Tuaine was awarded the Creative New Zealand Special Recognition Arts Pasifika Award. Tuaine is invested in the arts in the Cook Islands and produces tours for musicians, opera events, and has directed an award-winning short film about Cook Island artist Mike Tavioni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bergman Gallery</span> New Zealand and Cook Islands art gallery

Bergman Gallery is an international commercial art gallery with an original gallery in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, and a second gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. The gallery was first established in 2016 by Ben Bergman in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. Bergman Gallery represents and has represented many significant international artists from New Zealand, Cook Islands and Australia, including Fatu Feu'u, Luise Fong, Andy Leleisi'uao, Reuben Paterson, Michel Tuffery, Billy Apple, Mahiriki Tangaroa, Sylvia Marsters, Benjamin Work, Lucas Grogan, Luke Thurgate and Telly Tuita.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sylvia Marsters</span> New Zealand artist

Sylvia Lolita Cathrine Marsters is a New Zealand artist of Cook Islands descent. In 2003, she received a residency in the Cook Islands from Creative New Zealand, and she has exhibited in Rarotonga many times since, as well as in New Zealand, Fiji and New York. Her exhibitions draw big crowds in the Cook Islands.

Tungane Broadbent is a Cook Islands artist, notable for her tivaevae/tivaivai, with her career making tivaivai spanning five decades. Broadbent founded the O’oa Fabric & Fibre Arts group in 2007, Rarotonga, to teach women to sew tivaivai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staff god</span> Sacred objects of the Cook Islands Māori

Staff gods are sacred objects within the cultural and spiritual practices of the Cook Islands Māori, particularly prominent on the island of Rarotonga. These objects were crafted from wood and adorned with intricate carvings and symbolic designs, combining images of gods with their human descendants. The staffs range in length between 28 inches (71 cm) and 18 feet and were carried and displayed horizontally.

References

  1. Lords of the Dance - Culture of the Cook Islands: Visual arts
  2. Arts & Craft Cook Islands: Build your love of art
  3. A world history of art by Hugh Honour & John Fleming (2005)
  4. Rarotonga & the Cook Islands by Errol Hunt & Nancy Keller, Cook Islands Myths and Legends: Gods
  5. Arts and Crafts of the Cook Islands: Religion - nzetc.org
  6. Lords of the Dance - Culture of the Cook Islands: Crafts
  7. Oceania tattoos: Cook Islands tattoos - janeresture.com
  8. Quilts of the Cook Islands: Tivaevae
  9. "'Think wider, think beyond your horizon'". Cook Islands News. 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  10. "Aotearoa Art Fair: A celebration of Pacific art". Cook Islands News. 2022-12-03. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  11. "BROADBENT, Tungane | QAGOMA Collection Online". collection.qagoma.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  12. "Kaute (Hibiscus)". christchurchartgallery.org.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  13. "dress (Mu'umu'u) | British Museum". www.britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  14. "Tivaivai exhibit showcases masterful needlework". Cook Islands News. 2023-07-15. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  15. "BCA Gallery - Cook Islands Contemporary Art @ Rarotonga International Airport". Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
  16. Structures, Personal. "Personal Structures". Personal Structures. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  17. "Creative New Zealand mourns the passing of Cook Islands artist Ian David George". creativenz.govt.nz. Retrieved 2023-12-06.
  18. "A lifetime of colour". Cook Islands News. 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  19. "Cook Islands Va'ine at Aotearoa Art Fair". Cook Islands News. 2022-11-12. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  20. "Religious celebration basis of Gragg's new exhibition". Cook Islands News. 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  21. "Documentary on carver Mike Tavioni wins Paris Short Film Festival award". Cook Islands News. 2022-10-13. Retrieved 2023-10-01.
  22. "Bergman Gallery to participate in Auckland Art Fair". Cook Islands News. 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  23. "Cook Islands Va'ine at Aotearoa Art Fair". Cook Islands News. 2022-11-12. Retrieved 2023-10-16.

Bibliography