Paperskin: barkcloth across the Pacific - Queensland Art Gallery
Paperskin: barkcloth across the Pacific - Queensland Art Gallery
Paperskin: barkcloth across the Pacific - Queensland Art Gallery
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2<br />
<strong>Paperskin</strong><br />
Barkcloth <strong>across</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong>
Publishers<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
stanley Place, south bank, brisbane<br />
PO box 3686, south brisbane<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> 4101 Australia<br />
www.qag.qld.gov.au<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
Cable street, Wellington<br />
PO box 467, Wellington<br />
New Zealand<br />
www.tepapa.govt.nz<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
Cnr Grey and Melbourne streets, south brisbane<br />
PO box 3300, south brisbane<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> 4101 Australia<br />
www.qm.qld.gov.au<br />
Published for ‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’, an exhibition organised by <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
and <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>: <strong>barkcloth</strong> <strong>across</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong>’<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
31 October 2009 – 14 February 2010<br />
‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>: The <strong>Art</strong> of Tapa Cloth’<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
18 June 2010 – 26 september 2010<br />
CurATOrs<br />
PREVIOUS PAGE<br />
Siapo unknown<br />
Samoa<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 160cm (diam) /<br />
Collected 1885. Gift of Mr. D.<br />
Grahame, 1957 / Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand<br />
Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
Maud Page, Curator, Contemporary <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>Art</strong>, <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
sean Mallon, senior Curator, <strong>Pacific</strong> Cultures,<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
imelda Miller, Assistant Curator, Torres strait islander and <strong>Pacific</strong> indigenous<br />
studies, <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
© <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
and <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum, 2009<br />
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under <strong>the</strong> Copyright<br />
Act 1968, no part may be reproduced or communicated to <strong>the</strong> public without<br />
prior written permission of <strong>the</strong> publishers. No illustration may be reproduced<br />
without <strong>the</strong> permission of <strong>the</strong> copyright owners. Copyright for texts in this<br />
publication is held by <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Museum of New Zealand<br />
Te Papa Tongarewa and <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum. Copyright of photographic<br />
images is held by individual photographers and <strong>the</strong> three institutions.<br />
isbN: 978 1 921503 09 2<br />
<strong>Paperskin</strong><br />
Barkcloth <strong>across</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong><br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum
Contents<br />
Foreword 6<br />
Tony ellwood / Michelle hippolite / ian Galloway<br />
Preface 8<br />
Nicholas Thomas<br />
<strong>Paperskin</strong>: An introduction 10<br />
Maud Page<br />
beyond <strong>the</strong> paperskin 22<br />
sean Mallon<br />
The <strong>Pacific</strong> perspective on <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum: Tradition is present in <strong>the</strong> past<br />
and here in <strong>the</strong> present 32<br />
imelda Miller<br />
Plates 38<br />
list of works 72<br />
selected bibliography 76<br />
Acknowledgments 78<br />
Authors 80
Foreword<br />
Tony Ellwood<br />
Michelle Hippolite<br />
Ian Galloway<br />
‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’ brings toge<strong>the</strong>r works from hawai‘i to Papua New Guinea, dating from<br />
<strong>the</strong> late eighteenth century to 2006. since its introduction into <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong> from islands<br />
of south-east Asia over 3000 years ago, cloth beaten from bark and patterned with<br />
striking designs has been an important mode of artistic and cultural expression in<br />
many <strong>Pacific</strong> nations and regions. Yet, in art history terms, it has not received <strong>the</strong><br />
attention accorded to o<strong>the</strong>r media. ‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’ introduces Australian and New Zealand<br />
contemporary art audiences to <strong>the</strong>se works and to <strong>the</strong> cultures that made <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
The <strong>barkcloth</strong>s on display in this exhibition vary from intricate crosshatched designs from<br />
<strong>the</strong> solomon islands to spectacular performance masks from <strong>the</strong> baining and elema<br />
peoples of Papua New Guinea. The relationship to place is a significant element in all <strong>the</strong><br />
works; <strong>the</strong> importance of nature and <strong>the</strong> complex cosmologies of <strong>Pacific</strong> cultures are<br />
also evident. With strident use of patterning and colour, <strong>the</strong> cloths express <strong>the</strong> vitality of<br />
<strong>the</strong>se cultures and <strong>the</strong> importance of visual expression as a means of communication.<br />
The capacity for change, demonstrated by <strong>the</strong> incorporation of new ideas and<br />
materials, can be traced in <strong>the</strong> works created during <strong>the</strong> early period of colonisation and<br />
missionary activity in <strong>the</strong> late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.<br />
Given <strong>the</strong> importance of exchange for <strong>Pacific</strong> culture, all three institutions involved in<br />
<strong>the</strong> organisation of ‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’ — <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, Museum of New Zealand Te<br />
Papa Tongarewa and <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum — are delighted to have collaborated on<br />
<strong>the</strong> presentation of this significant exhibition. Works have been selected from each of<br />
our public collections and that of private collector harold Gallasch in south Australia.<br />
We are grateful to <strong>the</strong> curators, Maud Page, Curator of Contemporary <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>Art</strong>,<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>; sean Mallon, senior Curator, <strong>Pacific</strong> Cultures, Museum of<br />
New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa; and imelda Miller, Assistant Curator, Torres strait<br />
islander and <strong>Pacific</strong> indigenous studies, <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum, for <strong>the</strong>ir commitment<br />
to <strong>the</strong> exhibition. We also extend our thanks to all <strong>the</strong> staff involved in realising this<br />
ambitious cross-Tasman project.<br />
PREVIOUS PAGE<br />
Mask (detail) unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Orokolo, Gulf Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye, cane / 31.5 x<br />
95 x 21cm / Collected by S.G.<br />
MacDonell, 1913 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
Kapa (detail) 1770s<br />
Hawai‘i<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 63.5 x 129cm /<br />
A.H. Turnbull Collection.<br />
Presented by <strong>the</strong> Trustees of <strong>the</strong><br />
Turnbull Estate, 1918 / Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa<br />
On a more sombre note, it is with great regret that we note <strong>the</strong> passing of Dr seddon<br />
bennington, who was Chief executive Officer of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa until his tragic death in July this year. seddon was an enthusiastic<br />
supporter of <strong>the</strong> ‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’ exhibition throughout its development. his unerring<br />
commitment to <strong>the</strong> public relevance of state museums has been a significant<br />
inspiration to those working in <strong>the</strong> fields of art, culture and science in this region and<br />
he will be greatly missed.<br />
‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’ is an important new consideration of <strong>the</strong> <strong>barkcloth</strong> medium. We trust<br />
that Australian and New Zealand audiences will find a rich source of inspiration in<br />
this exhibition.<br />
Tony Ellwood<br />
Director, <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> / <strong>Gallery</strong> of Modern <strong>Art</strong><br />
Michelle Hippolite<br />
Acting Chief executive / Kaihautu, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
Dr Ian Galloway<br />
Director and Chief executive Officer, <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
6 7
Preface<br />
Nicholas Thomas<br />
since <strong>the</strong> eighteenth century, <strong>the</strong> <strong>barkcloth</strong> of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong> has intrigued travellers and<br />
captured <strong>the</strong> attention of connoisseurs in europe. From <strong>the</strong> 1770s, <strong>the</strong> decoration of<br />
Tongan ngatu, hawaiian kapa and o<strong>the</strong>r fabrics sparked <strong>the</strong> interest of collectors, and<br />
soon after Cook’s voyages, sheets of <strong>barkcloth</strong> began to be cut up for distribution<br />
among albums of samples. it was briefly <strong>the</strong> fashion for london ladies to adapt <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
garments, incorporating tapa, which has thus been a cross-cultural fabric for nearly<br />
250 years.<br />
if, early on, <strong>barkcloth</strong> spoke eloquently of <strong>the</strong> exotic, it is strange that it has only recently<br />
been seriously studied, and only recently recognised as a major Oceanic art form. Though<br />
<strong>the</strong>re are brief reports and discussions scattered through many early anthropological<br />
monographs, it was only in 1972 that a book dedicated to tapa in Polynesia (by simon<br />
Kooijman, a Dutch anthropologist) was published, and still more recently that a book (Neich<br />
and Pendergrast’s 1997 <strong>Pacific</strong> Tapa) with colour plates appeared, that could be said to do<br />
justice to <strong>the</strong> aes<strong>the</strong>tics of <strong>the</strong> medium. There are, of course, explanations for this neglect.<br />
Tribal art studies and art markets have long been biased toward sculptural forms<br />
and toward works of art made by men, while fabrics have been neglected. equally<br />
unfortunate was <strong>the</strong> perception that patterned and painted cloth is merely ‘decorated’,<br />
and decoration, perceived as a lower-order, sub-artistic level of cultural creativity. until<br />
recently, <strong>the</strong>se fabrics were seen as bearers of patterns ra<strong>the</strong>r than works of art, and<br />
were typically exhibited as backdrops in museum display cases ra<strong>the</strong>r than presented<br />
as objects that could be appreciated for <strong>the</strong>ir integral value.<br />
No major art exhibition has been dedicated to <strong>barkcloth</strong> until now. ‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’ is a<br />
landmark project that brings into view a stunning selection of fabrics, primarily from <strong>the</strong><br />
rich but largely un-researched collections of Te Papa and <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum.<br />
some of <strong>the</strong>se — <strong>the</strong> samoan, hawaiian and Fijian examples — will be familiar to those<br />
who already have an interest in <strong>the</strong> genre. but some, such as <strong>the</strong> animated Niuean<br />
Hiapo (detail) 19th century<br />
Niue (attributed)<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 105 x 171.5cm /<br />
Collection: Museum of New<br />
Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
hiapo example, are extraordinary and unlike any o<strong>the</strong>r Niuean piece in any collection,<br />
anywhere in <strong>the</strong> world. Hiapo such as <strong>the</strong>se remind us that <strong>the</strong>y are not examples of<br />
an object type but unique works of art. At <strong>the</strong> same time, <strong>barkcloth</strong>s are not solely, or<br />
not exactly, works of art: <strong>the</strong> terminological debate is ultimately unproductive, but it is<br />
important to remember that <strong>the</strong>se were not made for aes<strong>the</strong>tic appreciation in a narrow<br />
sense, but ra<strong>the</strong>r to constitute sanctity, to define a ceremony, to wrap around a body,<br />
to bear knowledge or to effect a gift. These art forms were embedded in <strong>the</strong> lives of<br />
<strong>Pacific</strong> islanders and in many places, and in many ways, <strong>the</strong>y still are.<br />
The curators are to be congratulated on a sparkling and singular exhibition which may<br />
be <strong>the</strong> first but should definitely not be <strong>the</strong> last. let us hope that it encourages islanders,<br />
artists, students, curators and o<strong>the</strong>r interested people to look again, and more intently, at<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>barkcloth</strong> of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong>.<br />
Nicholas Thomas is Director of <strong>the</strong> Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and Professor of historical<br />
Anthropology, Cambridge university.<br />
8 9
10<br />
Ngatu 1940s<br />
Tonga<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 196.4 x 160cm /<br />
Gift of Valerie Morris, 1989 /<br />
Collection: Museum of New<br />
Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
<strong>Paperskin</strong>: An introduction<br />
Maud Page<br />
in admiration of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>barkcloth</strong> samples brought home by early explorers,<br />
elizabeth Cook embroidered and fashioned a waistcoat from this cloth for her<br />
husband’s expected return in 1780. 1 Captain Cook, however, never felt its supple and<br />
silky texture on his skin: only his bones knew <strong>the</strong> material, when <strong>the</strong>se were carefully<br />
bundled in hawaiian <strong>barkcloth</strong> after his violent death at Kealakekua bay in 1779.<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong> — wrapped around chiefly bodies, dancers, brides, grooms, babies and <strong>the</strong><br />
deceased, or offered as ceremonial gifts — is <strong>the</strong> subject of <strong>the</strong> ‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’ exhibition,<br />
and conjures precious narratives from <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong>.<br />
Across one third of <strong>the</strong> world, and over many centuries, <strong>Pacific</strong> people have been<br />
creating, adapting and repeating designs on <strong>the</strong> fibrous <strong>barkcloth</strong> surface. These<br />
creations can be utilitarian, but most are still used in important ceremonies. some<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>s record <strong>the</strong> passage of time, such as <strong>the</strong> Tongan ngatu featured in<br />
‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’, which depicts Tonga’s World War Two alliances. 2 similarly, Niuean hiapo<br />
was sometimes used as parchment to inscribe <strong>the</strong> names of people and tracts of land,<br />
which often indicate <strong>the</strong> date <strong>the</strong> hiapo were created. 3 in o<strong>the</strong>r cultures, such as that<br />
of Papua New Guinea’s baining people, <strong>barkcloth</strong> is used to construct impermanent,<br />
intricate sculptures dedicated to transcendence of <strong>the</strong> temporal world.<br />
Whatever <strong>the</strong> intent, most <strong>barkcloth</strong>s exhibit an extraordinary array of dexterously<br />
applied geometric forms that transfix <strong>the</strong> eye. From <strong>the</strong> fine crosshatch work of <strong>the</strong><br />
solomon islands and Futuna practitioners to <strong>the</strong> bold, angular lines in Fijian textiles, and<br />
to <strong>the</strong> combination of straight and curved mark-making on Papuan <strong>barkcloth</strong>s, <strong>the</strong>re is<br />
in each an aes<strong>the</strong>tic of symmetry and dynamism. ‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’ celebrates this art form,<br />
accentuating <strong>the</strong> diversity of its two-dimensional and sculptural practice while also<br />
noting some of <strong>the</strong> striking synergies in both pattern and use.<br />
To those outside <strong>the</strong> communities in which <strong>the</strong>y are generated, <strong>barkcloth</strong>’s visual<br />
idiom is largely incomprehensible. 4 in Papua New Guinea, for example, much of <strong>the</strong><br />
11
information in <strong>barkcloth</strong> designs is not meant to be shared with outsiders. The Omie<br />
women from Oro (or Nor<strong>the</strong>rn) Province, on <strong>the</strong> country’s north-east coast, speak of<br />
<strong>the</strong> cloths as <strong>the</strong>ir ‘wisdom’ and, of <strong>the</strong> symbols in <strong>the</strong>ir works, will recount only those<br />
intended for outsiders. The titles of <strong>the</strong>ir nioje (<strong>barkcloth</strong>s) refer to <strong>the</strong> rich, volcanic<br />
landscape that dominates <strong>the</strong>ir villages, including Mount lamington, mountains with<br />
clouds, jungle vines, tree bark, spider webs, frogs, and <strong>the</strong> backbones of mountain fish.<br />
Yet, each woman imagines this same landscape differently. some like Vivian Marumi<br />
can have entirely different interpretations of <strong>the</strong> same subject — one version of ‘jungle<br />
vines’ shows row upon row of symmetrically freehand horizontal lines as thick as a<br />
canopy. Ano<strong>the</strong>r images this same jungle as chaotic and filled with spirals, diamond<br />
shapes and blocks of colour. This interpretive freedom is bountiful and produces an<br />
incredible diversity in <strong>barkcloth</strong>s made within <strong>the</strong> same small, remote community.<br />
Australian writer Drusilla Modjeska spent time with <strong>the</strong>se artists, and recounts that:<br />
When a woman comes into her vai hero (wisdom), it is not simply that she has learned<br />
<strong>the</strong> iconography, but that she lives it so fully that it forms, and informs, her relationship<br />
with <strong>the</strong> cloth. 5<br />
Modjeska’s engagement with <strong>the</strong> nioje, and her attempt to divulge customary<br />
knowledge of <strong>the</strong> work and practice to a Western audience, is evocative of how o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong> from <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong> can be viewed:<br />
While <strong>the</strong> alphabet of motifs can be named, it is absorbed in such a way that parts do<br />
not require naming. The iconography works not by being broken into separate elements,<br />
but by a complex patterning of sensation and image that is not translatable — a way of<br />
seeing that is affective as well as instructive. 6<br />
As with much o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>barkcloth</strong>, <strong>the</strong> Omie’s nioje is a physical manifestation of<br />
<strong>the</strong> makers — who <strong>the</strong>y are, <strong>the</strong>ir locality, <strong>the</strong>ir history and <strong>the</strong>ir cosmology. Titles<br />
of abstract works, such as ‘clan history’ and ‘wisdom’, allude to <strong>the</strong>se textiles’<br />
genealogical memory. The Omie say <strong>the</strong>ir wisdom is intertwined with <strong>the</strong> wellbeing of<br />
12<br />
ABOVE<br />
Vivian Marumi<br />
Papua New Guinea b.1980<br />
Omie people, Oro Province<br />
Odunege 1 (Jungle vines 1) 2006<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 142 x 114cm /<br />
Purchased 2007. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation<br />
RIGHT<br />
Vivian Marumi<br />
Odunege 4 (Jungle vines 4)<br />
(detail) 2006<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 163 x 99cm /<br />
Purchased 2007. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation
Mount lamington. its eruption in 1951, <strong>the</strong> resulting deaths of 4000 of <strong>the</strong>ir Orokaivian<br />
neighbours and <strong>the</strong>ir own dislocation is interpreted as a consequence of <strong>the</strong> war on <strong>the</strong><br />
Kokoda Trail which, among o<strong>the</strong>r horrors, grounded <strong>the</strong> dead soldiers’ restless spirits.<br />
some Omie blamed <strong>the</strong> eruption on <strong>the</strong> persistence of customary practices over those<br />
of Christianity, and proceeded to erase many of <strong>the</strong>m. As a consequence, initiation<br />
ceremonies and <strong>the</strong> ensuing tattooing of clan insignia on <strong>the</strong> body ceased and designs<br />
were instead transposed to <strong>barkcloth</strong>. <strong>Art</strong>ist Nerry Keme has said, ‘i paint on <strong>barkcloth</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> designs that were on my grandparents’ bodies’. 7 These materialise on <strong>the</strong> nioje as<br />
three small concentric circles, repeated in several configurations <strong>across</strong> <strong>the</strong> textile, and<br />
were once confined to <strong>the</strong> area around <strong>the</strong> navels of her ancestors. in reviewing this<br />
dynamic transposition, Modjeska refers to <strong>the</strong>se as ‘double skin’ designs.<br />
When speaking about <strong>barkcloth</strong>, <strong>the</strong> allusion to marked skin is particularly evocative<br />
and has been used in connection with o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>Pacific</strong> practices. Anthropologist Alfred<br />
Gell noted that <strong>the</strong> Marquesans called <strong>the</strong>ir full-body tattoos pahu tiki, which translates<br />
as ‘wrapping in images’. researching samoan tattooing practices, he later concluded<br />
that <strong>the</strong>y functioned as a second skin — wrapping, protecting and containing <strong>the</strong><br />
person’s essence. The similarity of motifs from samoan tattoos to <strong>the</strong>ir siapo (<strong>barkcloth</strong>)<br />
is evident in works from <strong>the</strong> collection of Wellington’s Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa, such as a 1940s example composed of horizontal rows of triangles. 8 Many<br />
<strong>Pacific</strong> peoples, most notably Tongans and Fijians, also wrap <strong>the</strong>ir bodies in <strong>barkcloth</strong><br />
for important ceremonies. like tattooing, <strong>the</strong> cloth confers an entire matrix of meaning<br />
on <strong>the</strong> bearer. A drawing from 1877 shows a Fijian chief layered head to toe in masi with<br />
an accompanying description around that time, claiming that over 200 metres of cloth<br />
could be used for this purpose.<br />
There are many accounts of <strong>barkcloth</strong> being treated as an extension of <strong>the</strong> body — an<br />
extension of <strong>the</strong> skin. samoans would wrap <strong>barkcloth</strong> around <strong>the</strong> bride, and <strong>the</strong> material<br />
would <strong>the</strong>n be ritually stained by <strong>the</strong> first intercourse. 9 Fijians rubbed turmeric on <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
The Tui Nadrau, dressed in masi<br />
for ceremonial presentation.<br />
Drawn from life by Theodor<br />
Kleinschmidt, Natuatuacoko,<br />
October, 1877 / Fiji Museum<br />
Collection<br />
Masi (detail) unknown<br />
Fiji<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 94.5 x 127.5cm /<br />
Collection: Museum of New<br />
Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
masi as well as on <strong>the</strong> bodies of a new mo<strong>the</strong>r and baby, binding <strong>the</strong>m indistinguishably<br />
in this sweet-smelling, warm, earthy spice. likewise, <strong>the</strong> dead were also impregnated<br />
with turmeric and laid upon masi in <strong>the</strong>ir graves. 10 in 1920s Collingwood bay, Papua New<br />
Guinean women used to crawl around <strong>the</strong> village beneath a <strong>barkcloth</strong> when mourning<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir husbands, <strong>the</strong> cloth isolating <strong>the</strong>m from sight and contact. 11<br />
Archaeologists Chris ballard and Meredith Wilson have posited a relationship between<br />
Melanesian rock art designs and those on tapa, specifically in mortuary contexts. The<br />
motifs, <strong>the</strong>y argue, transfer between <strong>the</strong> two media and also appear in tattoos, carvings<br />
and engravings. 12 As ballard has said:<br />
Most of <strong>the</strong> rock art sites with tapa motifs are burial sites, with human remains in cliff<br />
niches or caves, and <strong>the</strong>re are lots of instances of tapa being used to cover <strong>the</strong> bones,<br />
as a form of surrogate skin. 13<br />
O<strong>the</strong>r scholars have also pointed to <strong>the</strong> link between designs found on ancient<br />
<strong>Pacific</strong> lapita pottery, tattooing and <strong>barkcloth</strong>s, alluding to a complex aes<strong>the</strong>tic that is<br />
revitalised and used in a number of different art forms. 14 This ubiquitous transference<br />
of motifs can be understood as a method of communication (particularly as <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong><br />
region had no written language prior to european contact), and its continued use<br />
suggests an audience for whom <strong>the</strong>se symbols represent a particular sense of being<br />
and place.<br />
For <strong>the</strong> baining people of <strong>the</strong> mountainous Gazelle Peninsula of New britain, Papua<br />
New Guinea, <strong>the</strong> creation of <strong>barkcloth</strong> masks enacts an intricate relationship with both<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir everyday agricultural subsistence and that of <strong>the</strong> spirits, particularly those of <strong>the</strong><br />
recently departed. The ten baining masks in ‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’ represent only a portion of <strong>the</strong><br />
sculptures being made today, and include works from throughout <strong>the</strong> peninsula. 15 The<br />
masks are worn by men, with rare exceptions, such as <strong>the</strong> two Siviritki with fringes and<br />
accompanying fibre skirts that camouflage <strong>the</strong> dancer. each of <strong>the</strong> ten masks — except<br />
14 15
for <strong>the</strong> four-metre-high, three-pronged work — exhibit <strong>the</strong> baining characteristics of<br />
large, accentuated eyes, accompanied by vibrant designs painted directly onto <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong> in a restricted palette of red and black.<br />
These complex sculptures are used for a single ceremony and <strong>the</strong>n discarded,<br />
even though <strong>the</strong>y consume much of <strong>the</strong> villagers’ time and resources. The abstract<br />
designs featured on both sides are drawn mostly from memory, allowing for individual<br />
interpretation and change. Although customarily using designs drawn from nature —<br />
such as wild vines, insects or even pig intestines (<strong>the</strong> latter being a pattern used in<br />
several masks in ‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’) — more recent designs include those derived from car<br />
tyre treads, mission crosses and manufactured cloth, as well as introduced figurative<br />
elements, such as flags and <strong>the</strong> ‘thumbs up’ gesture.<br />
The masks are produced for day or night ceremonies and represent female and male<br />
spirits in <strong>the</strong> form of animals or composite beings, such as bird–humans or snake–<br />
birds. Day dances are commonly associated with <strong>the</strong> commemoration of <strong>the</strong> dead and<br />
with <strong>the</strong> cyclical fertility of harvests and gardens, while night fire dances are thought to<br />
pertain to male initiation.<br />
A 1931 written account of a night fire ceremony is remarkably similar to more recent<br />
accounts, from <strong>the</strong> 1970s to <strong>the</strong> mid 2000s, as described by collector harold Gallasch.<br />
This points to <strong>the</strong> continued relevance of <strong>the</strong> practice despite <strong>the</strong> advent of modernity. 16<br />
each begins by noting <strong>the</strong> anticipation of <strong>the</strong> villagers following a long period of mask<br />
preparation, which occurs in locations inaccessible to women and children. Pigs are killed,<br />
food is distributed and a large bonfire ignited in <strong>the</strong> centre of <strong>the</strong> village. Gallasch recounts:<br />
. . . [A]t its zenith <strong>the</strong> chanting and drumming increased in tempo, as if in great<br />
urgency. Sweeping in from <strong>the</strong> blackness of <strong>the</strong> night, of <strong>the</strong> jungle, came <strong>the</strong><br />
apparition of a bush spirit, a large white face outlined in red and black, large eyes to<br />
see in <strong>the</strong> darkness. As it came closer <strong>the</strong> disembodied face, shrouded behind <strong>the</strong><br />
16<br />
ABOVE<br />
Kavat masks in performance,<br />
Malasaet village, East New Britain<br />
Province, Papua New Guinea,<br />
2009 / Image courtesy: John Wilson<br />
RIGHT<br />
Gabriel Asekia<br />
Papua New Guinea, b. Unknown<br />
Sibali Baining people, East New<br />
Britain Province<br />
Anui Lagun<br />
Papua New Guinea, b. Unknown<br />
Sibali Baining people, East New<br />
Britain Province<br />
Mandas mask c. 1995<br />
Barkcloth, dye, felt pen, cane /<br />
410 x174 x 40cm / Collection:<br />
Harold Gallasch, Hahndorf, South<br />
Australia<br />
17
18<br />
Kavat mask (front and back) 1971<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Kairak Baining people, East New<br />
Britain Province<br />
Barkcloth, paper, dye, felt<br />
pen, wood and cane / 135 x<br />
133 x 60cm / Purchased<br />
2009. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
Foundation Grant.<br />
croton leaves, was propelled on black legs, pounding in time with <strong>the</strong> drumming,<br />
racing forwards, reversing, <strong>the</strong>n stomping ever closer, <strong>the</strong> head swaying and<br />
pirouetting . . . children screamed in fear and ran to escape. In one last, swift burst<br />
of fervour, <strong>the</strong> masked apparition turned, raced and jumped in to <strong>the</strong> centre of <strong>the</strong><br />
bonfire. There, for a few long seconds it stomped and twisted, burning sticks and<br />
embers scattering in all directions. 17<br />
The baining masks in ‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’ bear <strong>the</strong> traces of <strong>the</strong>ir performance: soot from fires,<br />
and <strong>the</strong> remnants of dyes and oils used to paint and perfume <strong>the</strong> dancer’s skin.<br />
however, <strong>the</strong>se masks are more than <strong>the</strong>atrical devices: <strong>the</strong>y allow for an interaction<br />
with, and a continuation of, a specific cosmology. living in <strong>the</strong> Gazelle Peninsula in <strong>the</strong><br />
1970s, <strong>the</strong>ologians Karl hesse and Theo Aerts recorded that <strong>the</strong> ‘baining worldview<br />
accepts as it were two worlds, in which <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r one (a rimbab) is <strong>the</strong> replica of this<br />
world’. 18 The invisibility of <strong>the</strong> rimbab becomes visible in <strong>the</strong> dances. Masked, <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
bodies adorned with paint and leaves, <strong>the</strong> dancers become <strong>the</strong> manifestation of spirits:<br />
They show <strong>the</strong> forces of nature — but at <strong>the</strong> same time also <strong>the</strong>ir limitations — <strong>the</strong><br />
power of man, and <strong>the</strong> ambiguity of his relationship with that which is constantly<br />
beyond his immediate grasp. 19<br />
in many cultures <strong>across</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong>, <strong>barkcloth</strong> continues to be significant. The<br />
deliberate repetition of geometric patterns has enabled a visual idiom historically linking<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong> with o<strong>the</strong>r important cultural practices such as tattooing and weaving, as<br />
well as defunct art forms such as rock engravings and lapita pottery. recognition<br />
and appreciation of <strong>the</strong>se designs has ensured <strong>the</strong> art form’s ongoing practice. On<br />
a fibrous surface, using a restricted colour palette and limited combinations of linear<br />
and curvilinear non-figurative designs, <strong>barkcloth</strong> makers have created extraordinarily<br />
diverse works that mediate <strong>the</strong> social and spiritual transformation of both individuals<br />
and groups.<br />
For some, <strong>the</strong> need to sustain this practice — to work communally, and to have goods<br />
to give and exchange — is so strong that, even when lacking <strong>the</strong> essential materials,<br />
<strong>the</strong>y continue to innovate. in <strong>the</strong> mid 1990s in sydney’s west, for example, susana<br />
Kaafi ga<strong>the</strong>red a group of women toge<strong>the</strong>r to cut and glue interfacing material into long<br />
strips. laying <strong>the</strong>m onto a large makeshift table in Kaafi’s backyard, <strong>the</strong>y <strong>the</strong>n painted<br />
<strong>the</strong> strips — using <strong>the</strong> dust scraped from red bricks — with <strong>the</strong> gridded emblems of <strong>the</strong><br />
Tongan monarchy alongside stylised images of <strong>the</strong> sydney Opera house.<br />
Maud Page is Curator, Contemporary <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>Art</strong>, <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> / <strong>Gallery</strong> of Modern <strong>Art</strong>.<br />
19
ACKNOWleDGMeNT<br />
i would like to acknowledge <strong>the</strong><br />
research and thoughtful input<br />
of ruth McDougall, Curatorial<br />
Assistant, Asian and <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>Art</strong>,<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> / <strong>Gallery</strong> of<br />
Modern <strong>Art</strong> to ‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’.<br />
eNDNOTes<br />
1 Peter sharrad, ‘Trade and<br />
textiles in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong> and india’,<br />
in Diana Wood Conroy and<br />
emma ru<strong>the</strong>rford, Fabrics<br />
of Change: Trading Identities<br />
[exhibition catalogue], university<br />
of Wollongong, NsW, p.14.<br />
2 see Adrienne Kaeppler,<br />
‘The structure of Tongan<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong> design’, in <strong>Pacific</strong><br />
<strong>Art</strong>: Persistence, Change and<br />
Meaning, Anita herle, Nick<br />
stanley, Karen stevenson and<br />
robert l Welsch (eds), Crawford<br />
house Publishing, hindmarsh,<br />
sA, 2002, pp.291–309.<br />
3 John Pule in John Pule and<br />
Nicholas Thomas, Hiapo:<br />
Past and Present in Niuean<br />
Barkcloth, university of Otago<br />
Press, Dunedin, 2005, p.47.<br />
4 simon Kooijman in his seminal<br />
and often quoted 1972 text on<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, Tapa in Polynesia,<br />
thought that fur<strong>the</strong>r study was<br />
needed on <strong>the</strong> names given to<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong> patterns to decipher<br />
some of <strong>the</strong> meanings, but<br />
concluded that, ‘in <strong>the</strong> present<br />
state of our knowledge<br />
<strong>the</strong>y have no interpretative<br />
significance’ and <strong>the</strong>refore did<br />
not include any. There has been<br />
some attempt at adding to this<br />
body of knowledge, but by and<br />
large, <strong>the</strong>re remains remarkably<br />
little written information on<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong> motifs <strong>across</strong><br />
Polynesia and Melanesia.<br />
One pertinent example is rod<br />
ewins’s 1982 research on<br />
Fijian motifs (originally related<br />
to mats) and his more recent<br />
study of <strong>the</strong>se in Staying Fijian:<br />
Vatulele Island Barkcloth and<br />
Social Identity, Crawford house<br />
Publishing, hindmarsh, sA,<br />
and university of hawaii Press,<br />
honolulu, 2009.<br />
5 Drusilla Modjeska, ‘This<br />
place, our art’, in Omie: The<br />
Barkcloth <strong>Art</strong> of Omie, [exhibition<br />
catalogue], Annandale Galleries,<br />
sydney, 2006, p.16.<br />
6 Modjeska, in Omie: The<br />
Barkcloth <strong>Art</strong> of Omie, p.16.<br />
rod ewins, speaking on Fijian<br />
masi (<strong>barkcloth</strong>), also states:<br />
‘Thus it is <strong>the</strong> totality of <strong>the</strong><br />
pattern that gives meaning,<br />
and no one component of <strong>the</strong><br />
pattern can carry more than a<br />
small part of <strong>the</strong> meaning by<br />
itself’, in Staying Fijian: Vatulele<br />
Island Barkcloth and Social<br />
Identity, p.147.<br />
7 Omie: The Barkcloth <strong>Art</strong> of<br />
Omie, p.29.<br />
8 Caption details: Siapo mamanu,<br />
samoa, <strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 173.5 x<br />
128.2cm / Collected by sir Guy<br />
richardson Powles c.1949–60.<br />
Gift of Michael Powles, 2001 /<br />
Collection: Museum of New<br />
Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
9 Nicholas Thomas, ‘The case<br />
of <strong>the</strong> misplaced ponchos:<br />
speculations concerning <strong>the</strong><br />
history of cloth in Polynesia’,<br />
in Clothing <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong>, Chloe<br />
Colchester (ed.), berg, Oxford,<br />
2003, p.90.<br />
10 simon Kooijman, Tapa in <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Pacific</strong>, bernice P. bishop<br />
Museum bulletin 234, bishop<br />
Museum Press, honolulu,<br />
hawai‘i, 1972, p358.<br />
11 roger Neich and Mick<br />
Pendergrast, <strong>Pacific</strong> Tapa, David<br />
bateman, Auckland Museum,<br />
Auckland, 1997, p.136.<br />
12 Chris ballard, email to <strong>the</strong><br />
author, 4 March 2009.<br />
13 rod ewins has also observed<br />
that human remains were<br />
found wrapped in black masi in<br />
a mortuary cave in Vanualevu,<br />
Fiji, in Staying Fijian: Vatulele<br />
Island Barkcloth and Social<br />
Identity, p.138.<br />
14 Most of Papua New Guinea,<br />
<strong>the</strong> outer islands and parts of<br />
<strong>the</strong> solomon islands have been<br />
inhabited for over 40 000 years.<br />
The rest of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong> was settled<br />
by speakers of Austronesian<br />
languages from south-east<br />
Asia approximately 4000 years<br />
ago. This expansion is marked,<br />
in particular, by <strong>the</strong> distinctive<br />
Barkcloth (detail) 19th century<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Doriri people, Oro Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 57.6 x 117.3cm /<br />
Collected by Captain F.R. Barton,<br />
1901. Donated 1966 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
pottery style known as lapita.<br />
15 it includes work by <strong>the</strong> simbali<br />
people in <strong>the</strong> south of <strong>the</strong><br />
Gazelle Peninsula, <strong>the</strong> Chachet<br />
in <strong>the</strong> north-west, and <strong>the</strong><br />
uramot and Kairak people in<br />
<strong>the</strong> central and central-east<br />
regions of <strong>the</strong> tip of this New<br />
britain island.<br />
16 see W.J. read, ‘A snake dance<br />
of <strong>the</strong> baining’, in Oceania,<br />
vol. 3, 1931–32, pp.232–37.<br />
17 harold Gallasch, letter to <strong>the</strong><br />
author, 20 July 2009.<br />
18 Karl hesse and Theo Aerts,<br />
Baining Life and Lore, university<br />
of Papua New Guinea Press,<br />
Port Moresby, 1996, p.41.<br />
19 hesse and Aerts, Baining Life<br />
and Lore, p.41.<br />
20 21
Hiapo (detail) 19th century<br />
Niue (attributed)<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 97 x 216cm / Gift<br />
of A. Hamilton, 1912 / Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te<br />
Papa Tongarewa<br />
Beyond <strong>the</strong> paperskin<br />
Sean Mallon<br />
My grandfa<strong>the</strong>r was buried in Whenuatapu Cemetery, on a gentle hillside near Porirua<br />
City, in New Zealand. his casket was wrapped in a large Tongan ngatu. he was<br />
samoan and a matai (chief) in our extended family, and he was laid to rest in cold clay<br />
soil, an ocean away from home.<br />
One of my museum colleagues, a Tongan, was preparing human skulls for special<br />
storage in Te Papa’s wahi tapu. 1 she chose to individually wrap each skull in small<br />
sheets of plain <strong>barkcloth</strong> from Tonga. like my grandfa<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong>se human remains,<br />
collected in <strong>the</strong> nineteenth and twentieth centuries from Papua New Guinea, were far<br />
from <strong>the</strong>ir place of origin.<br />
Ano<strong>the</strong>r former colleague was married in Newtown, Wellington, in a flowing wedding<br />
dress made from undecorated <strong>barkcloth</strong> from Fiji and Tonga. she walked down <strong>the</strong><br />
aisle of <strong>the</strong> Congregational Christian Church of samoa on a length of ngatu more than<br />
12 metres long.<br />
in <strong>the</strong> 2005 Auckland secondary schools’ Polyfest dance competition, a samoan<br />
fuataimi for Auckland Girls’ Grammar school wore a dress made from ngatu. she led<br />
her dance troupe to first place in front of a captive audience on <strong>the</strong> ‘samoan stage’. 2<br />
The use of <strong>barkcloth</strong> in <strong>the</strong>se different situations fascinates me. how is it that Tongan<br />
tapa can officiate as a wrapping, a garment and a draping in cultural situations that are<br />
not Tongan? What enables <strong>barkcloth</strong> to move between cultural contexts and functions?<br />
Why wrap Papua New Guinean trophy skulls in Tongan <strong>barkcloth</strong>? What guides <strong>the</strong><br />
choices that allow this to happen? Are <strong>the</strong>re o<strong>the</strong>r aes<strong>the</strong>tic dimensions in <strong>the</strong> layers of<br />
this special cloth? These questions permit us to probe for <strong>the</strong> significance of <strong>barkcloth</strong><br />
among <strong>the</strong> contemporary diasporas of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong>. They allow us to consider <strong>barkcloth</strong>s<br />
as mediators of actions that are not reliant on its markings, and to ask whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong> art of<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong> is contained in <strong>the</strong> markings of its ‘paper skin’, or beneath and beyond <strong>the</strong>m.<br />
23
Traffic in ideas and cultural material is not new to Polynesia and its peoples. since at<br />
least <strong>the</strong> 1700s, Tonga, samoa and Fiji have influenced each o<strong>the</strong>r culturally and have<br />
been connected through networks of exchange. Textiles, whales’ teeth, tattooing and<br />
people were among <strong>the</strong> commodities that moved between islands. in <strong>the</strong> twenty-first<br />
century, <strong>the</strong> sharing and appropriation of cultural material continues within <strong>the</strong> island<br />
archipelagos and beyond. in New Zealand, this sharing is sometimes conspicuous, in<br />
a cultural milieu where <strong>the</strong> assertion of ethnic distinctions is important, as much as <strong>the</strong><br />
formation of cultural alliances is strategic.<br />
in ‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’, <strong>the</strong> decorated <strong>barkcloth</strong>s, displayed in warm, artificial light, offer a<br />
view that highlights design, composition, symmetry, and <strong>the</strong> creative impulses of<br />
individuals and groups. This type of presentation encourages us to see <strong>barkcloth</strong> with<br />
a heightened sense of its surface qualities, and enhances <strong>the</strong> possibilities for viewing<br />
<strong>the</strong>se textiles as creative works. it also offers us a chance to examine <strong>the</strong> patterns,<br />
linger over motifs and look for cultural and individual distinctions; to see <strong>the</strong> differences<br />
and similarities <strong>across</strong> this medium. The art of <strong>barkcloth</strong> is also evident in <strong>the</strong> labourintensive<br />
working of <strong>the</strong> raw materials, <strong>the</strong> preparation and beating of <strong>the</strong> cloth and<br />
fibres, and <strong>the</strong> manufacture of pigments and dyes.<br />
‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’ is a departure from presentations of <strong>barkcloth</strong> as <strong>the</strong> backdrop to o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
artefacts, common in <strong>the</strong> museum exhibitions of <strong>the</strong> past. There is something more<br />
at work here, something not overtly named in <strong>the</strong> exhibition, but intrinsic to it — in <strong>the</strong><br />
curation and selection of <strong>the</strong> <strong>barkcloth</strong>s, and in <strong>the</strong> creation of <strong>the</strong> works <strong>the</strong>mselves.<br />
We often think of <strong>barkcloth</strong> in its decorated, finished form. however, while <strong>barkcloth</strong> is<br />
often beautifully decorated, given as a gift, or wrapped around objects or people, it is<br />
also a raw material giving shape and texture to things. <strong>barkcloth</strong> helps manifest social<br />
processes and cultural values. it mediates in ceremonies and events, and its uses and<br />
value often transcend its appearance, its surface decorations and artistic intent. The art<br />
of <strong>barkcloth</strong>, <strong>the</strong> art of tapa, is nei<strong>the</strong>r paper thin nor skin deep.<br />
in New Zealand-based <strong>Pacific</strong> island communities, familiarity with <strong>barkcloth</strong> does not<br />
always indicate an awareness of <strong>the</strong> specificities of its origin. <strong>barkcloth</strong> is often used like<br />
an old-time museum display: it serves as a backdrop at community meetings, at news<br />
conferences; it hangs in community buildings, politicians’ offices, in school hallways.<br />
it is also used in presentations, in funerals and weddings, or as a ceremonial garment.<br />
in <strong>the</strong>se situations, <strong>barkcloth</strong> is almost always Tongan or Fijian in origin, due to <strong>the</strong><br />
continuity of <strong>the</strong> art form and scale of production on those islands. samoan <strong>barkcloth</strong><br />
is not produced in similar sizes and quantities. Many <strong>Pacific</strong> islanders can visually<br />
distinguish a Fijian masi from a Tongan ngatu, although <strong>the</strong>y may not always know <strong>the</strong><br />
indigenous terms to describe <strong>the</strong>m. Despite <strong>the</strong>ir specific cultural origins, <strong>the</strong>y are often<br />
generically referred to as tapa. 3<br />
Why is this so? it seems that although masi and ngatu have distinctive markings, 4<br />
<strong>Pacific</strong> peoples in New Zealand find uses for <strong>the</strong>m that transcend <strong>the</strong>ir culture of origin.<br />
As textiles, <strong>the</strong>y can convey meaning beyond <strong>the</strong> motifs that signal <strong>the</strong>ir Tongan-ness,<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir Fijian-ness. it is as if <strong>the</strong>se elements, while distinctive and readable, are not always<br />
relevant. The textiles and <strong>the</strong> people who use <strong>the</strong>m are not bound to <strong>the</strong> nation.<br />
24<br />
Siapo mamanu (detail) 1940s<br />
Samoa<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 173.5 x 128.2cm /<br />
Collected by Sir Guy Richardson<br />
Powles c.1949–60. Gift of Michael<br />
Powles, 2001 / Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa
26<br />
Pare’eva (mask) unknown<br />
Cook Islands, Mangaia,<br />
(attributed)<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 66cm x 30cm x<br />
20cm / Collected by T.W. Kirk. Gift<br />
of Masonic Lodge, Paraparaumu,<br />
1950 / Collection: Museum of New<br />
Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
This often happens when objects travel; when <strong>the</strong>y are used to mediate new social<br />
situations in new places. in art forms such as music, dance, tattooing and oratory,<br />
<strong>the</strong>re are innovations reflecting location-specific circumstances. The greater <strong>the</strong><br />
distance that tapa (or o<strong>the</strong>r cultural products) travel in institutional, spatial and temporal<br />
terms, knowledge related to <strong>the</strong>m becomes increasingly ‘partial, contradictory and<br />
differentiated’. 5 As ngatu or masi moves fur<strong>the</strong>r from its place of origin, <strong>the</strong> narratives,<br />
knowledge and contexts that give meaning to it in one place fragment and become<br />
less clear, eventually reflecting new ‘local’ concerns, transmitting some key cultural<br />
messages, and taking on new ones.<br />
Tapa may be admired for <strong>the</strong>ir beautiful decoration, but <strong>the</strong>y are also a medium<br />
for negotiating <strong>the</strong> politics of relationships and cultural identity. The fur<strong>the</strong>r a group<br />
is away from home, <strong>the</strong> more charged or urgent expressions of ethnic or cultural<br />
identity can become. Groups of people will often temporarily seek out, latch onto and<br />
express identity through cultural practices in order to make sense of <strong>the</strong> particular<br />
circumstances in which <strong>the</strong>y find <strong>the</strong>mselves. serving this purpose, tapa does its<br />
‘cultural’ work not only through <strong>the</strong> pigment that decorates its surface, but also<br />
through <strong>the</strong> fibres comprising <strong>the</strong> cloth itself.<br />
in <strong>the</strong> case of my grandfa<strong>the</strong>r’s burial casket, <strong>the</strong> ngatu in which it was wrapped was<br />
a way of reconnecting him to his island home, not through a cloth that was samoan,<br />
but through a cloth that was foreign to <strong>the</strong> cold clay soil, a cloth that was indigenous to<br />
a place beyond New Zealand’s shores. it also highlighted <strong>the</strong> fact that, while he lived<br />
<strong>the</strong> last decades of his life with us in New Zealand, he was of ano<strong>the</strong>r place. he was a<br />
samoan, a <strong>Pacific</strong> islander, and <strong>the</strong> tapa helped to bridge this distance, reconnecting<br />
him to his island identity despite <strong>the</strong> ngatu’s Tongan motifs. similarly, my colleague’s<br />
wrapping of <strong>the</strong> trophy skulls in <strong>barkcloth</strong> was perhaps a means of reconnecting<br />
<strong>the</strong>m with a tangible representation of something ‘<strong>Pacific</strong>’, a way of separating <strong>the</strong>m<br />
and protecting <strong>the</strong>m while <strong>the</strong>y were in <strong>the</strong> liminal space of a museum storeroom. My<br />
colleague’s <strong>barkcloth</strong> wedding garment was beautiful, and <strong>the</strong> church itself was draped<br />
in an extravagant length of ngatu down <strong>the</strong> aisle. The dress was remarkable: its texture;<br />
its plain, natural colour; <strong>the</strong> heavy drape of <strong>the</strong> cloth. undecorated with <strong>the</strong> freehand<br />
motifs of a samoan siapo mamanu or <strong>the</strong> rubbed-on patterns of a siapo ’elei, observers<br />
remarked on its similarity to raw silk, its tactility. 6 For <strong>the</strong> wearer, <strong>the</strong> garment was valued<br />
more than for its cosmetic appearance, and reflected ‘a love and passion for things <strong>Pacific</strong>’. 7<br />
in <strong>the</strong> examples i have described above, <strong>the</strong> functional value of <strong>barkcloth</strong>, as a<br />
decorated object, is less important than its symbolic value. On <strong>the</strong>se occasions,<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong> mediates and creates relationships; it bridges distance and time. The use<br />
of <strong>barkcloth</strong> in <strong>the</strong>se situations shows that tapa mediates actions that are not solely<br />
reliant on <strong>the</strong> markings on its surface. The cloth itself can be important — <strong>the</strong> texture,<br />
<strong>the</strong> memory imbued in its layers, <strong>the</strong> worked fibres and <strong>the</strong> energy of <strong>the</strong> maker.<br />
While we know that <strong>the</strong> value attached to materials often affects <strong>the</strong> value attached to<br />
things, <strong>the</strong>y are not <strong>the</strong> same. 8 The materiality of <strong>barkcloth</strong>, its geo-cultural origins and<br />
‘o<strong>the</strong>rness’ are aes<strong>the</strong>tic dimensions that are easily overlooked, but <strong>the</strong>y are important<br />
in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong> island diaspora, and particularly in a world where <strong>the</strong> production of<br />
cultural material is less fixed and its movement more global.<br />
27
in New Zealand, people share a range of meanings and value around tapa despite <strong>the</strong><br />
culturally distinct manner in which <strong>the</strong>y are marked. in <strong>the</strong> diaspora, tapa mediates a<br />
form of cultural recovery in a global maelstrom. i think that, for many <strong>Pacific</strong> islanders<br />
in New Zealand, regardless of <strong>the</strong>ir origins or descent, <strong>barkcloth</strong> is symbolic of an<br />
idealised past (or present) way of life that is geographically distant. Tapa is a tangible<br />
link to ‘a past’ as well as a signifier of cultural conditions in <strong>the</strong> present. indeed, Fijian<br />
Nina Nawalowalo has described masi as a ‘map back to my own cultural roots’ with<br />
‘<strong>the</strong> fibres’ providing a way back ‘to a time and place’. 9 What <strong>the</strong> case studies above<br />
have in common is <strong>the</strong> deployment of tapa as a tool for bringing <strong>the</strong> past closer to <strong>the</strong><br />
present. Tapa, like o<strong>the</strong>r cultural productions, is used in ‘<strong>the</strong> mediation of ruptures of<br />
time and history — to heal disruptions in cultural knowledge, historical memory, and<br />
identity between generations’, people and places. 10 in this way, people can lay claim to<br />
a cultural or ethnic identity through <strong>the</strong> process of using a ‘thing’, whe<strong>the</strong>r it is tapa, <strong>the</strong><br />
haka, or tattoos. The ceremonies tapa mediates, like <strong>the</strong> events for which it serves as a<br />
backdrop, are expressions of connectedness.<br />
Ngatu is also made from syn<strong>the</strong>tic material in transnational Tongan communities.<br />
like <strong>the</strong>ir organic counterparts, syn<strong>the</strong>tic ngatu pieces are used in presentations, as<br />
wrappings, and are also given as gifts. Tongan ngatu artists who produce syn<strong>the</strong>tic<br />
tapa indicate a preference for indigenous materials, but, <strong>the</strong>y say, <strong>the</strong>y will use syn<strong>the</strong>tic<br />
tapa for <strong>the</strong>ir presentations if necessary. As anthropologist roger Neich has argued, for<br />
items of samoan cultural value such as <strong>the</strong> ie toga (cloth for toga) 11 , often <strong>the</strong> aes<strong>the</strong>tic<br />
focus is not only on how <strong>the</strong> item appears, but also what it represents for <strong>the</strong> event or<br />
context in which it mediates <strong>the</strong> ceremony and actions surrounding its presentation or<br />
use. This would explain how Tongan ngatu can be used at a samoan wedding, or a<br />
funeral, or worn by a samoan chief’s daughter in a performance. 12<br />
This is not to say <strong>the</strong> markings on tapa’s paperskin are unimportant, but to highlight<br />
that <strong>the</strong>y coexist with o<strong>the</strong>r dimensions of meaning and interpretation. We seek <strong>the</strong><br />
‘materiality’ of <strong>barkcloth</strong> not only for its markings but also for its qualities as something<br />
made by human hands, a cloth crafted. We seek its power to bring <strong>the</strong> past, people,<br />
history and <strong>the</strong> islands closer — to make <strong>the</strong>m tangible. <strong>barkcloth</strong> connects us in a way<br />
that fascinates, entrances and inspires us.<br />
The meanings of <strong>barkcloth</strong> are as unfixed and changing as <strong>the</strong> identities of <strong>the</strong> people<br />
who use <strong>the</strong>m. if an object’s value is dependent on context we cannot assume a<br />
completeness of cultural transmission despite an increasingly transnational and<br />
interconnected world. When thinking about <strong>barkcloth</strong> we have to consider disjunctions<br />
between <strong>the</strong> spaces where <strong>the</strong>y originate and <strong>the</strong> meanings people give to, and make<br />
through, <strong>the</strong>m in new locations. These circumstances create room for us to celebrate<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong> as a form of beautifully inscribed paper skin from <strong>Pacific</strong> places distant in time<br />
and location. They also allow us to probe beyond this veneer for a significance that is<br />
deeper and closer to home.<br />
Sean Mallon is senior Curator, <strong>Pacific</strong> Cultures at <strong>the</strong> Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.<br />
28<br />
Siapo or Ngatu c.1955<br />
Samoa or Tonga<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 176.5 x 84.7cm /<br />
Collected by Sir Guy Richardson<br />
Powles c. 1949-60. Gift of<br />
Michael Powles, 2001. Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te<br />
Papa Tongarewa<br />
29
Masi (and detail) late 19th century<br />
Fiji<br />
Barkcloth, dye<br />
170.5 x 191cm / A.H. Turnbull<br />
Collection. Presented by <strong>the</strong><br />
Trustees of <strong>the</strong> Turnbull Estate,<br />
1918 / Collection: Museum of New<br />
Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
eNDNOTes<br />
1 A Maori term for sacred space<br />
or place.<br />
2 Fuataimi literally means ‘to<br />
measure time’, and refers to<br />
a person who guides both<br />
dance and music, conducting<br />
<strong>the</strong> choir as it accompanies<br />
<strong>the</strong> dancers with singing and<br />
movement.<br />
3 ironically, tapa is a samoan<br />
term, which refers to<br />
undecorated <strong>barkcloth</strong>.<br />
4 There are various regional<br />
styles, as well as individual<br />
variations in Fiji.<br />
5 Arjun Appadurai (ed.),<br />
The Social Life of Things:<br />
Commodities in Cultural<br />
Perspective, Cambridge<br />
university Press, Cambridge,<br />
uK, 1986, p.57.<br />
6 Paula Chan Cheuk, interview<br />
with author, Auckland, 1999.<br />
7 Jackie leota-ete, ‘Te Papa<br />
buys unique wedding dress’,<br />
in New Zealand Weddings:<br />
The Complete Guide, starlight<br />
Publications, Christchurch, 1998.<br />
8 robert Friedel, ‘some matters<br />
of substance’, in s lubar<br />
and W David Kingery (eds),<br />
History from Things: Essays on<br />
Material Culture, smithsonian<br />
institution Press, Washington<br />
DC, 1993, p.46.<br />
9 Nina Nawalowalo, brochure for<br />
Vula, The Conch, Wellington,<br />
undated, p.5.<br />
10 Faye Ginsburg, ‘indigenous<br />
media: Faustian contract or<br />
global village?’ in Cultural<br />
Anthropology: Journal for<br />
<strong>the</strong> Society of Cultural<br />
Anthropology, vol.6, no.1,<br />
1991, p.104.<br />
11 Toga is a category of exchange<br />
valuables.<br />
12 roger Neich, ‘Processes of<br />
change in samoan arts and<br />
crafts’, in P.J.C. Dark (ed.),<br />
Development of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Art</strong>s in <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Pacific</strong> [occasional papers],<br />
no.1, <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>Art</strong>s Association,<br />
National Museum, Wellington,<br />
1983, pp.42–6.<br />
31
32<br />
Marsang<br />
Papua New Guinea, b.1918<br />
Kairak Baining people, East New<br />
Britain Province<br />
Siviritki 1974<br />
Barkcloth, dye, felt pen, natural<br />
fibre, wood and cane / Two<br />
components: 160 x 45.5 x 50cm<br />
(mask); 97cm (fibre) / Collected<br />
by Harold Gallasch, 1974 /<br />
Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
The <strong>Pacific</strong> perspective on<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum:<br />
tradition is present in <strong>the</strong> past and here in <strong>the</strong> present<br />
Imelda Miller<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong> brings toge<strong>the</strong>r sculpture, music, art, dance, ceremony and story. everything<br />
in <strong>the</strong> ‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’ exhibition is part of somebody’s story about <strong>the</strong>ir identity and<br />
connection to place. The <strong>barkcloth</strong>s and sculptures have <strong>the</strong>ir own stories, which exist<br />
as <strong>the</strong> past, in <strong>the</strong> present and for <strong>the</strong> future.<br />
in this exhibition we can liken <strong>the</strong> collected <strong>barkcloth</strong>s to a favourite novel — albeit one<br />
that is all middle without <strong>the</strong> beginning or <strong>the</strong> end, or all beginning and end without<br />
<strong>the</strong> middle. Consider that <strong>the</strong> words from a wise storyteller’s mouth become <strong>the</strong> story<br />
written on <strong>the</strong> pages of this book, dance and music become <strong>the</strong> beautiful illustrations,<br />
and <strong>the</strong> ceremony is <strong>the</strong> experience of reading from it. sometimes, we go back to our<br />
favourite pages because something in <strong>the</strong> present that has changed <strong>the</strong> way we think.<br />
When we revisit those pages, <strong>the</strong>re are always more lessons to be learnt about <strong>the</strong><br />
story being told.<br />
Museums collect and preserve evidence in <strong>the</strong> form of objects and information about<br />
<strong>the</strong>m. in doing so, museums also collect parts of culture and build stories. Museum<br />
collections tell us about <strong>the</strong> cultural and physical environments in which objects<br />
originated, <strong>the</strong>ir many uses, and <strong>the</strong> skill, status and mark of <strong>the</strong> maker. As time passes<br />
and attitudes change, more indigenous peoples <strong>across</strong> <strong>the</strong> world are accessing<br />
collections held in institutions to reconnect and bring to life <strong>the</strong>se objects to tell stories<br />
about <strong>the</strong> person, <strong>the</strong> people, <strong>the</strong> community, and <strong>the</strong>ir connection to place in <strong>the</strong> past<br />
and <strong>the</strong> present.<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum has been collecting for nearly 150 years. its <strong>Pacific</strong> collection has<br />
approximately 26 000 objects and 4000 historical photographs, and its large collection<br />
of <strong>barkcloth</strong>s display a balance between masculine and feminine, old and new.<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> is strongly connected to <strong>the</strong> people in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong>, particularly Melanesia.<br />
Melanesia includes <strong>the</strong> Torres strait islands, Papua New Guinea, <strong>the</strong> solomon islands,<br />
Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji. From 1884, responsibility for british New Guinea<br />
33
ested with <strong>Queensland</strong>, and <strong>the</strong>se links continued after Federation until Papua New<br />
Guinea’s independence in 1975. The associations continue with trade and family<br />
connections between Papua New Guinea and Torres strait islanders, <strong>the</strong> introduction<br />
of south sea islander labour to <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> sugar industry, and <strong>the</strong> new wave of<br />
<strong>Pacific</strong> islanders coming to <strong>Queensland</strong> today. These historical accounts can each be<br />
demonstrated through <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum’s collection.<br />
Tapa, ngatu, kapa, masi, lepau and siapo are names used for <strong>barkcloth</strong> <strong>across</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Pacific</strong>. each place and people has its own unique story for <strong>barkcloth</strong>. some are made<br />
by women, o<strong>the</strong>rs by men, some for cloth and some for masks, some are for everyday<br />
and o<strong>the</strong>rs are for special ceremonies. each piece comes with its own unique story<br />
that has instruction on how it is to be made, how it is to worn, who is to wear it and<br />
<strong>the</strong> power that it holds in <strong>the</strong> ceremony, in dance or as a gift. For this exhibition, <strong>the</strong><br />
Museum has focused on <strong>barkcloth</strong> from Melanesia, and <strong>the</strong> selected objects come<br />
from Papua New Guinea and <strong>the</strong> solomon islands.<br />
A major strength in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum collection is <strong>the</strong> comprehensive Papuan<br />
ethnographic material, collected by sir William Macgregor in <strong>the</strong> later decades of<br />
<strong>the</strong> nineteenth century. Macgregor had a background in medicine with scientific and<br />
humanitarian interests and he collected this material during his travels in Papua. in<br />
keeping with this vision that this collection would be kept in trust for <strong>the</strong> Papuan people,<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum repatriated objects back to <strong>the</strong> Papua New Guinea National<br />
Museum between 1983 and 1995, and it was agreed that <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
would keep a percentage of it. 1 The Macgregor Collection now totals 5627 objects. Not<br />
only aes<strong>the</strong>tically pleasing, <strong>the</strong>se <strong>barkcloth</strong>s also tell us stories about people. in Papua<br />
New Guinea, everyday tapa can include loincloths, wrap around skirts and cloaks.<br />
some groups decorate tapa with painted patterns, as <strong>the</strong> pieces in this exhibition show,<br />
while some attach beads and shells. Worn for ceremonies and rituals, Oro (or Nor<strong>the</strong>rn)<br />
Province is one of <strong>the</strong> most well-known tapa-producing areas of Papua New Guinea. 2<br />
Dance object unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Orokolo, Gulf Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye, cane / 28 x 205 x<br />
75.5cm / Collected by S.G.<br />
MacDonell, 1913 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
The <strong>barkcloth</strong> from Collingwood bay, Papua New Guinea, was collected by Macgregor<br />
and entered <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum’s collections in 1897.<br />
The designs in <strong>the</strong> Papua New Guinea tapas are somewhat abstract and free-flowing,<br />
similar to those in Vanuatu and in contrast with those from santa Cruz and o<strong>the</strong>r<br />
Polynesian locations. Not much is known about use and manufacture of <strong>barkcloth</strong><br />
(lepau) in santa Cruz. The <strong>barkcloth</strong> from santa Cruz came into <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum’s collections in March 1899. These cloths are known to be worn by men in an<br />
apron-styled fashion, and <strong>the</strong>y have been photographed being worn by important men<br />
like a tall cylinder around <strong>the</strong> top of <strong>the</strong> head. There was an absence of tapa-making<br />
between 1930 and 1970 in santa Cruz. 3 restrictions on practice; political, technical or<br />
environmental changes; <strong>the</strong> movement of people; or a change of interest: <strong>the</strong>se can<br />
all contribute to such absences. however, everybody has <strong>the</strong> culture within <strong>the</strong>m, and<br />
museum collections can help to trigger memories of, emotions about, and connections<br />
between, people and place.<br />
This is happening around <strong>the</strong> world for indigenous cultures, where people are strongly<br />
tied to place. The masks included in ‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>’ are deeply enmeshed in <strong>the</strong> spirit<br />
world of <strong>the</strong> people who made <strong>the</strong>m. For those who believe in <strong>the</strong>se spirits, <strong>the</strong><br />
masks hold strong powers and are respected as part of that world. The eharo masks<br />
represent bush spirits, look like little bush animals and are used during ceremonies<br />
called Hevehe. used to interact with <strong>the</strong> spirit world, sometimes in a humorous way,<br />
and in a time before Christianity, 4 <strong>the</strong> size and diversity of <strong>the</strong>se masks, sometimes<br />
decorated with fea<strong>the</strong>rs and hornbills, reflect <strong>the</strong> diverse Papua New Guinean cultures.<br />
The two-headed crocodile was used in eharo ceremonies, but <strong>the</strong>re is little information<br />
regarding its use or representation. Collected between 1912 and 1914 in <strong>the</strong> Gulf<br />
Province, this beautiful work is made of <strong>barkcloth</strong> wrapped around a cane frame. 5 More<br />
research is required on this piece, but one day, someone somewhere will be reminded<br />
34 35
y this crocodile <strong>barkcloth</strong> of <strong>the</strong>ir connection to people, spirit and place, and <strong>the</strong>y will<br />
be reignited. This is why it is important for Museum collections to be made accessible<br />
to communities through visits, repatriation and exhibitions.<br />
<strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>barkcloth</strong> comes in many forms, shapes and sizes, has many meanings,<br />
and plays an important part in maintaining <strong>the</strong> connections between people and<br />
place. Collections like <strong>the</strong> one held in <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum maintain a connection<br />
between people and place. They connect <strong>the</strong> people who create <strong>the</strong>se works, and<br />
<strong>the</strong> movement that continues between <strong>Pacific</strong> countries and Australia. <strong>barkcloth</strong> is a<br />
beautiful aes<strong>the</strong>tic way to show that <strong>Pacific</strong> people have a presence in <strong>Queensland</strong>’s<br />
history and will continue to have a presence into <strong>the</strong> future.<br />
Imelda Miller is Assistant Curator, Torres strait islander and <strong>Pacific</strong> indigenous studies, <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum.<br />
eNDNOTes<br />
1 Patricia Ma<strong>the</strong>r, A Time for a<br />
Museum: The History of<br />
<strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
1862–1986, <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum, brisbane, 1986,<br />
pp.202–4.<br />
2 roger Neich and Mick<br />
Pendergrast, <strong>Pacific</strong> Tapa,<br />
David bateman, Auckland<br />
Museum, Auckland, 1997, p.133.<br />
36<br />
3 Neich and Pendergrast, p.125.<br />
4 robert l Welsch, Coaxing<br />
<strong>the</strong> Spirits to Dance: <strong>Art</strong> and<br />
Society in Papuan Gulf of New<br />
Guinea [exhibition catalogue],<br />
Nils Nadeau (ed.), hood<br />
Museum of <strong>Art</strong>, hanover, New<br />
hampshire, 2006, pp.23-9.<br />
5 Memoirs of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum, <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum,<br />
brisbane, vol.2, 1913, pp.9–23.<br />
ABOVE<br />
Mask unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Chachet Baining people, East New<br />
Britain Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye, cane / 90 x 52 x<br />
74cm / Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum<br />
OPPOSITE FROM TOP<br />
Woman from Wanigela, Oro<br />
Province, Papua New Guinea.<br />
Photograph taken by Percy<br />
J. Money c.1900 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
Barkcloth (detail) unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Collingwood Bay, Oro Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 156.8 x 45cm /<br />
Collected by Sir William Macgregor,<br />
1897 / Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum<br />
37
Plates<br />
38<br />
Marsang<br />
Papua New Guinea b.1918<br />
Kairak Baining people, East New<br />
Britain Province<br />
Mandas mask 1975<br />
Barkcloth, dye, wood, natural fibres,<br />
fea<strong>the</strong>rs / 310 x 74.5 x 59cm /<br />
Collection: Harold Gallasch,<br />
Hahndorf, South Australia<br />
39
40<br />
Nerry Keme<br />
Papua New Guinea b.1975<br />
Omie people, Oro Province<br />
Obohutaigué & Dahorue (Tree<br />
bark and Omie mountains) 2006<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 167 x 134cm /<br />
Purchased 2007. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation<br />
OPPOSITE<br />
Gioracka mask 1978<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Sibali Baining people, East New<br />
Britain Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye, wood, natural<br />
fibres, fea<strong>the</strong>rs / 154 x 85 x 35cm /<br />
Collection: Harold Gallasch,<br />
Hahndorf, South Australia<br />
41
42<br />
Barkcloth 19th century<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Doriri people, Oro Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 71.5 x 129.5cm /<br />
Collected by Captain F. R. Barton,<br />
1901 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
Mask unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Orokolo, Gulf Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye, cane / 57 x<br />
41 x 20cm / Collected by S.G.<br />
MacDonell, 1913 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
43
Barkcloth 19th century<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Doriri people, Oro Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 57.6 x 117.3cm /<br />
Collected by Captain F. R. Barton,<br />
1901 / Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum<br />
Siapo mamanu unknown<br />
American Samoa, Tutuila<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 174.8 x 349cm /<br />
Collected by Reverend Perkins,<br />
London Missionary Society, 1938.<br />
Gift of Mrs Roma Miller, 1986 /<br />
Collection: Museum of New<br />
Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
44 45
Masi bola unknown<br />
Fiji, Cakaudrove<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 224 x 428cm /<br />
Collection: Museum of New<br />
Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
Mask unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Orokolo, Gulf Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye, cane / 31.5 x<br />
95 x 21cm / Collected by S.G.<br />
MacDonell, 1913 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
46 47
Barkcloth unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Collingwood Bay, Oro Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 156.8 x 45cm /<br />
Collected by Sir William Macgregor,<br />
1897 / Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum<br />
Kavat mask 1971<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Kairak Baining people, East New<br />
Britain Province<br />
Barkcloth, paper, dye, felt pen,<br />
wood and cane / 115 x 112 x 56cm /<br />
Purchased 2009. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation Grant<br />
48 49
Nemasitse 19th century<br />
Vanuatu, Eromanga (attributed)<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 104.3 x 201cm /<br />
Gift of A. Hamilton, 1912. Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa<br />
Hiapo 19th century<br />
Niue<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 158 x 189cm / Gift<br />
of A. Hamilton, 1912 / Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa<br />
50 51
Lepau 19th century<br />
Ihilland Solomon issunt Islands, et a voluptatam<br />
Santa Cruz<br />
is Barkcloth, quae. Ant dye ea si / 26 ipsandit x 42cm vel /<br />
es Collected assitatqui 1899 untur / Collection: aut preste<br />
volorest <strong>Queensland</strong> fugiamus Museum conet porrum is<br />
Siapo unknown<br />
Futuna, Eddystan Island<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 69.7 x 85.4cm /<br />
Ihilland The Oldman issunt Collection. et a voluptatam<br />
is Collected quae. Ant 1948 ea si / Collection: ipsandit vel<br />
es Museum assitatqui of New untur Zealand aut preste Te<br />
volorest Papa Tongarewa fugiamus conet porrum is<br />
52 53
Marsang<br />
Papua New Guinea, b.1918<br />
Kairak Baining people, East New<br />
Britain Province,<br />
Siviritki mask 1973<br />
Barkcloth, dye, felt pen, natural and<br />
syn<strong>the</strong>tic fibre, wood and cane /<br />
Ihilland Two components: issunt et a voluptatam 83 x 70cm x<br />
is 21.5 quae. (mask); Ant ea 108cm si ipsandit (fibre) vel /<br />
es Purchased assitatqui 2009. untur <strong>Queensland</strong> aut preste <strong>Art</strong><br />
volorest <strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation fugiamus conet porrum is<br />
Enos Levi<br />
Papua New Guinea, b.1952<br />
Uramot Baining people, East New<br />
Britain Province,<br />
Kavat mask 1978<br />
Barkcloth, dye, felt pen, wood and<br />
cane / 142 x 80 x 48cm / Purchased<br />
2009. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
Foundation Grant<br />
54 55
Barkcloth 19th century<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Doriri people, Oro Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 116 x 149cm /<br />
Collected by Captain F. R. Barton,<br />
1901 / Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum<br />
Barkcloth unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Popondetta, Oro Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 45.8 x 132.5cm /<br />
Collected by Alan Queale. Donated<br />
by Mrs J. Finucane, 1983 /<br />
Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
56 57
Eharo mask unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Orokolo, Gulf Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye, cane / 128 x<br />
84.5 x 81cm / Collected by S.G.<br />
MacDonell, 1913 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
Eharo mask unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Orokolo, Gulf Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye, cane / 95.5 x<br />
101.5 x 101.5cm / Collected by<br />
S.G. MacDonell, 1913 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
58 59
60<br />
Stella Upia<br />
Papua New Guinea b.1950<br />
Omie people, Oro Province<br />
Dahorué & Nionihanoe (Omie<br />
mountains and jungle) 2006<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 161 x 136cm /<br />
Purchased 2007. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation<br />
Siapo mamanu 1940s<br />
Samoa<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 173.5 x 128.2cm /<br />
Collected by Sir Guy Richardson<br />
Powles c.1949–60. Gift of Michael<br />
Powles, 2001 / Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa<br />
61
62<br />
Wuwana<br />
Papua New Guinea b.unknown<br />
Sibali Baining people, East New<br />
Britain Province<br />
Mandas mask 2003<br />
Barkcloth, dye, felt pen, wood,<br />
natural fibres, cassowary fea<strong>the</strong>rs /<br />
400 x 75 x 55cm / Collection:<br />
Harold Gallasch, Hahndorf, South<br />
Australia<br />
Lepau 19th century<br />
Solomon Islands, Santa Cruz<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 41 x 69cm /<br />
Collected 1899 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
63
64<br />
Siapo mamanu c.1905<br />
Samoa<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 115.4 x 242cm / Gift<br />
of Thomas Trood, 1917 / Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa<br />
Hiapo 19th century<br />
Ihilland Niue (attributed) issunt et a voluptatam<br />
is Barkcloth, quae. Ant dye ea / si 105 ipsandit x 171.5cm vel /<br />
es Collection: assitatqui Museum untur aut of preste New<br />
volorest Zealand fugiamus Te Papa Tongarewa conet porrum is<br />
65
Masi 19th century<br />
Fiji<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 221 x 169cm /<br />
A.H. Turnbull Collection.<br />
Presented by <strong>the</strong> Trustees of <strong>the</strong><br />
Turnbull Estate 1918 / Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa<br />
Stella Upia<br />
Papua New Guinea b.1950<br />
Omie people, Oro Province<br />
Sihaé 1 (Sahote clan design of<br />
fruit from <strong>the</strong> tree 1) 2006<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 138 x 105cm /<br />
Purchased 2007. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation<br />
66 67
Mask unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Orokolo, Gulf Province<br />
Barkcloth, dye, cane / 68 x<br />
47 x 34cm / Collected by S.G.<br />
MacDonell, 1913 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
Kapa 1770s<br />
Hawai‘i<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 63.5 x 129cm /<br />
A.H. Turnbull Collection.<br />
Presented by <strong>the</strong> Trustees of <strong>the</strong><br />
Turnbull Estate, 1918 / Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa<br />
68 69
Masi unknown<br />
Ihilland Fiji issunt et a voluptatam<br />
is Barkcloth, quae. Ant dye ea si / 94.5 ipsandit x 127.5cm vel /<br />
es Collection: assitatqui Museum untur aut of preste New<br />
volorest Zealand fugiamus Te Papa Tongarewa conet porrum is<br />
Hiapo 19th century<br />
Niue (attributed)<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 97 x 216cm / Gift<br />
of A. Hamilton, 1912 / Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa<br />
70 71
List of works<br />
1 Dating of works in this exhibition has often been difficult. ‘c’ (circa)<br />
dates are given as a guide only.<br />
2 The names of artists/makers of works in this exhibition are often not<br />
available from museum records. Where names are available <strong>the</strong>y<br />
have been included in <strong>the</strong> list of works.<br />
3 Numbers shown in <strong>the</strong> last line of <strong>the</strong>se captions indicate <strong>the</strong><br />
artwork’s record number within <strong>the</strong> institution where it is held.<br />
4. Details of acquisition and/or donation are shown where known.<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
Nerry Keme<br />
Papua New Guinea b.1975<br />
Omie people, Oro Province<br />
Obohutaigué & Dahorue (Tree<br />
bark and Omie mountains) 2006<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 167 x 134cm /<br />
Purchased 2007. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation / Acc. 2007.213<br />
Vivian Marumi<br />
Papua New Guinea b.1980<br />
Omie people, Oro Province<br />
Odunege 4 (Jungle vines 4) 2006<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 163 x 99cm /<br />
Purchased 2007. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation / Acc. 2007.209<br />
Vivian Marumi<br />
Papua New Guinea b.1980<br />
Omie people, Oro Province<br />
Odunege 1 (Jungle vines 1) 2006<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 142 x 114cm /<br />
Purchased 2007. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation / Acc. 2007.210<br />
stella upia<br />
Papua New Guinea b.1950<br />
Omie people, Oro Province<br />
Sihaé 1 (Sahote clan design of<br />
fruit from <strong>the</strong> tree 1) 2006<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 138 x 105cm /<br />
Purchased 2007. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation / Acc. 2007.211<br />
stella upia<br />
Papua New Guinea b.1950<br />
Omie people, Oro Province<br />
Dahorué & Nionihanoe (Omie<br />
mountains and jungle) 2006<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 161 x 136cm /<br />
Purchased 2007. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation / Acc. 2007.212<br />
Kavat mask 1971<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Kairak baining people, east New<br />
britain Province<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, paper, dye, felt pen, wood<br />
and cane / 135 x 133 x 60cm<br />
Purchased 2009. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation Grant.<br />
Kavat mask 1971<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Kairak baining people, east New<br />
britain Province<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, paper, dye, felt pen,<br />
wood and cane / 115 x 112 x 56cm /<br />
Purchased 2009. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation Grant<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
enos levi<br />
Papua New Guinea, b.1952<br />
uramot baining people, east New<br />
britain Province,<br />
Kavat mask 1978<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye, felt pen, wood and<br />
cane / 142 x 80 x 48cm / Purchased<br />
2009. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
Foundation Grant<br />
Marsang<br />
Papua New Guinea, b.1918<br />
Kairak baining people, east New<br />
britain Province,<br />
Siviritki mask 1973<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye, felt pen, natural and<br />
syn<strong>the</strong>tic fibre, wood and cane /<br />
Two components: 83 x 70cm x 21.5<br />
(mask); 108cm (fibre) / Purchased<br />
2009. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
Foundation<br />
Masi late 19th century<br />
Fiji<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye<br />
170.5 x 191cm / A.h. Turnbull<br />
Collection. Presented by <strong>the</strong> Trustees<br />
of <strong>the</strong> Turnbull estate, 1918 /<br />
Collection: Museum of New Zealand<br />
Te Papa Tongarewa / Fe000826<br />
Hiapo 19th century<br />
Niue (attributed)<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 105 x 171.5cm /<br />
Collection: Museum of New Zealand<br />
Te Papa Tongarewa / Fe007862<br />
Siapo mamanu c.1905<br />
samoa<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 115.4 x 242cm / Gift<br />
of Thomas Trood, 1917 / Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa / Fe001425<br />
Ngatu 1940s<br />
Tonga<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 196.4 x 160cm / Gift<br />
of Valerie Morris, 1989 / Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa / Fe008723<br />
Siapo mamanu 1940s<br />
samoa<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 173.5 x 128.2cm /<br />
Collected by sir Guy richardson<br />
Powles c.1949-60. Gift of Michael<br />
Powles, 2001 / Collection: Museum<br />
of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa /<br />
Fe011611<br />
Hiapo 19th century<br />
Niue<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 158 x 189cm / Gift<br />
of A. hamilton, 1912 / Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa / Fe000278<br />
Kapa 1770s<br />
hawai’i<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 63.5 x 129cm / A.h.<br />
Turnbull Collection. Presented by <strong>the</strong><br />
Trustees of <strong>the</strong> Turnbull estate, 1918 /<br />
Collection: Museum of New Zealand<br />
Te Papa Tongarewa / Fe001475/4<br />
Siapo unknown<br />
Futuna, eddystan island<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 69.7 x 85.4cm / The<br />
Oldman Collection. Collected 1948 /<br />
Collection: Museum of New Zealand<br />
Te Papa Tongarewa / Ol000216.s<br />
Masi bola unknown<br />
Fiji, Cakaudrove<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 224 x 428cm /<br />
Collection: Museum of New Zealand<br />
Te Papa Tongarewa / Fe004086/3<br />
Masi 19th century<br />
Fiji<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 221 x 169cm / A.h.<br />
Turnbull Collection. Presented by <strong>the</strong><br />
Trustees of <strong>the</strong> Turnbull estate 1918 /<br />
Collection: Museum of New Zealand<br />
Te Papa Tongarewa / Fe000828<br />
Siapo unknown<br />
samoa<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 160cm (diam) /<br />
Collected 1885. Gift of Mr. D.<br />
Grahame, 1957 / Collection: Museum<br />
of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa /<br />
Fe003202<br />
Siapo mamanu unknown<br />
American samoa, Tutuila<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 174.8 x 349cm /<br />
Collected by reverend Perkins,<br />
london Missionary society, 1938.<br />
Gift of Mrs roma Miller, 1986 /<br />
Collection: Museum of New Zealand<br />
Te Papa Tongarewa / Fe008126<br />
Masi unknown<br />
Fiji<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>,dye / 94.5 x 127.5cm /<br />
Collection: Museum of New Zealand<br />
Te Papa Tongarewa / Fe000120<br />
72 73
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum<br />
Hiapo 19th century<br />
Niue (attributed)<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 97 x 216cm / Gift<br />
of A.hamilton, 1912 / Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa / Fe000268/1<br />
Siapo or Ngatu c. 1955<br />
samoa or Tonga<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 176.5 x 84.7cm /<br />
Collected by sir Guy richardson<br />
Powles c. 1949-60. Gift of Michael<br />
Powles, 2001. Collection: Museum of<br />
New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa /<br />
Fe011614<br />
Nemasitse 19th century<br />
Vanuatu, eromanga (attributed)<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 104.3 x 201cm /<br />
Gift of A. hamilton, 1912. Collection:<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa<br />
Tongarewa / Fe000273<br />
Pare’eva (mask) unknown<br />
Cook islands, Mangaia, (attributed)<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 66cm x 30cm x<br />
20cm / Collected by T.W. Kirk. Gift of<br />
Masonic lodge, Paraparaumu, 1950 /<br />
Collection: Museum of New Zealand<br />
Te Papa Tongarewa / Fe008435<br />
Barkcloth unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Popondetta, Oro Province<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 45.8 x 132.5cm /<br />
Collected by Alan Queale. Donated<br />
by Mrs J Finucane, 1983 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum / e11959<br />
Barkcloth unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Collingwood bay, Oro Province<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 156.8 x 45cm /<br />
Collected by sir William Macgregor,<br />
1897 / Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum / MAC5000<br />
Barkcloth 19th century<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Doriri people, Oro Province<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 71.5 x 129.5cm /<br />
Collected by Captain F. r. barton,<br />
1901 / Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum / e4836<br />
Barkcloth 19th century<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Doriri people, Oro Province<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 57.6 x 117.3cm /<br />
Collected by Captain F. r. barton,<br />
1901 / Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum / e4838<br />
Lepau 19th century<br />
solomon islands, santa Cruz<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 26 x 42cm /<br />
Collected 1899 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum / e4380<br />
Lepau 19th century<br />
solomon islands, santa Cruz<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 41 x 69cm /<br />
Collected 1899 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum / e4381<br />
Barkcloth 19th century<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Doriri people, Oro Province<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye / 116 x 149cm /<br />
Collected by Captain F. r. barton,<br />
1901 / Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum / e4840<br />
Marsang<br />
Papua New Guinea, b.1918<br />
Kairak baining people, east New<br />
britain Province<br />
Siviritki 1974<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye, felt pen, natural fibre,<br />
wood and cane / Two components:<br />
160 x 45.5 x 50cm (mask); 97cm<br />
(fibre) / Collected by harold Gallasch,<br />
1974 / Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum / e10025.1 & 10025.2<br />
Mask unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Orokolo, Gulf Province<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye, cane / 57 x 41 x<br />
20cm / Collected by s.G. MacDonell,<br />
1913 / Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum / e228<br />
Eharo mask unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Orokolo, Gulf Province<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye, cane / 95.5 x<br />
101.5 x 101.5cm / Collected by<br />
s.G. MacDonell, 1913 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum / e240<br />
Eharo mask unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Orokolo, Gulf Province<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye, cane / 128 x 84.5 x<br />
81cm / Collected by s.G. MacDonell,<br />
1913 / Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum / e217<br />
Dance object unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Orokolo, Gulf Province<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye, cane / 28 x 205 x<br />
75.5cm / Collected by s.G.<br />
MacDonell, 1913 / Collection:<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum / e214<br />
Mask unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Orokolo, Gulf Province<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye, cane / 31.5 x 95 x<br />
21cm / Collected by s.G. MacDonell,<br />
1913 / Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum / e232<br />
Mask unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Orokolo, Gulf Province<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye, cane / 68 x 47 x<br />
34cm / Collected by s.G. MacDonell,<br />
1913 / Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum / e237<br />
Mask unknown<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
Chachet baining people, east New<br />
britain Province<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye, cane / 90 x 52 x<br />
74cm / Collection: <strong>Queensland</strong><br />
Museum / e31027<br />
harold Gallasch Collection<br />
Marsang<br />
Papua New Guinea b.1918<br />
Kairak baining people, east New<br />
britain Province<br />
Mandas mask 1975<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye, wood, natural fibres,<br />
fea<strong>the</strong>rs / 310 x 74.5 x 59cm /<br />
Collection: harold Gallasch,<br />
hahndorf, south Australia / b477<br />
Gabriel Asekia<br />
Papua New Guinea, b. unknown<br />
sibali baining people, east New<br />
britain Province<br />
Anui lagun<br />
Papua New Guinea, b. unknown<br />
sibali baining people, east New<br />
britain Province<br />
Mandas mask c. 1995<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye, felt pen, cane / 410 x<br />
174 x 40cm / Collection: harold<br />
Gallasch, hahndorf, south Australia /<br />
b800<br />
Gioracka mask 1978<br />
Papua New Guinea<br />
sibali baining people, east New<br />
britain Province<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye, wood, natural<br />
fibres, fea<strong>the</strong>rs / 154 x 85 x 35cm /<br />
Collection: harold Gallasch,<br />
hahndorf, south Australia / b917<br />
Wuwana<br />
Papua New Guinea b. unknown<br />
sibali baining people, east New<br />
britain Province<br />
Mandas mask 2003<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong>, dye, felt pen, wood,<br />
natural fibres, cassowary fea<strong>the</strong>rs /<br />
400 x 75 x 55cm / Collection: harold<br />
Gallasch, hahndorf, south Australia /<br />
b845<br />
74 75
Selected bibliography<br />
Bonnemaison, J, Kaufmann, C, Huffman, K and Tyron,<br />
D (eds.). <strong>Art</strong>s of Vanuatu. Crawford House Publishing,<br />
Bathurst, NSW, 1996.<br />
Clark, Peter. Engini (Firedance). Gaulim Teachers College,<br />
Rabaul, 1976.<br />
Corbin, George A. ‘Baining and Sulka art in <strong>the</strong> Museum<br />
für Völkerkunde, Hamburg: An iconographic analysis’.<br />
Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Völkerkunde, vol.3,<br />
2003, pp.249–93.<br />
Corbin, George A. ‘Introduction: <strong>Art</strong> of <strong>the</strong> Chachet,<br />
Kairak, and Uramot Baining of New Britain, Papua New<br />
Guinea’ in Masking and Ritual Theater of <strong>the</strong> Baining<br />
and Gimi Peoples of Papua New Guinea [exhibition<br />
catalogue]. Lehman College <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, City University of<br />
New York, New York, 1986.<br />
Corbin, George A. Native <strong>Art</strong>s of North America, Africa,<br />
and <strong>the</strong> South <strong>Pacific</strong>: An Introduction. Harper and Row,<br />
New York, 1988.<br />
Dorney, Sean. ‘The <strong>Pacific</strong> Islands: Fragile but complex’.<br />
<strong>Art</strong>lines (Brisbane), no.3, 2009, pp.20–25.<br />
Ewins, Rod. Fijian <strong>Art</strong>efacts: The Tasmanian Museum<br />
and <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> Collection. Tasmanian Museum and <strong>Art</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong>, Hobart, 1982.<br />
Ewins, Rod. Staying Fijian: Vatulele Island Barkcloth and<br />
Social Identity. Crawford House Publishing, Adelaide and<br />
University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 2009.<br />
Ewins, Rod. ‘Symmetry and semiotics: <strong>the</strong> case of Fijian<br />
<strong>barkcloth</strong> figuration’ in Washburn, D (ed.). Embedded<br />
Symmetries, Natural and Cultural. University of New<br />
Mexico Press, New Mexico and Amerind Foundation,<br />
Albuquerque, 2004, pp.161–83.<br />
Fajans, Jane. They Make Themselves: Work and Play<br />
Among <strong>the</strong> Baining of Papua New Guinea. The University<br />
of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1997.<br />
Gregory, Bill and Modjeska, Drusilla. In The Shadow of a<br />
Volcano: The Barkcloth <strong>Art</strong> of Omie [exhibition catalogue].<br />
Holmes à Court <strong>Gallery</strong>, Perth and Annandale Galleries,<br />
Sydney, 2007.<br />
Gregory, Bill and Modjeska, Drusilla. Omie: The Barkcloth<br />
<strong>Art</strong> of Omie [exhibition catalogue]. Annandale Galleries,<br />
Sydney, 2006.<br />
Gregory, Bill and Ryan, Jayne. Omie: The <strong>Art</strong> of Omie<br />
[exhibition catalogue]. Annandale Galleries, Sydney, 2008.<br />
Heermann, Ingrid (ed.). Form, Colour, Inspiration: Oceanic<br />
<strong>Art</strong> from New Britain [exhibition catalogue]. Arnoldsche,<br />
Stuttgart, 2001.<br />
Herda, Phyllis, Young-Leslie, Hea<strong>the</strong>r and Addo, Ping-<br />
Ann (eds). ‘Hybrid textiles: Pragmatic creativity and<br />
au<strong>the</strong>ntic innovations in <strong>Pacific</strong> cloth’. <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>Art</strong>s: The<br />
Journal of <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>Art</strong>s Association, no.3–5, 2007<br />
[special issue].<br />
Hesse, K and Aerts, T. Baining Life and Lore. University<br />
of Papua New Guinea Press, Port Moresby, 1996;<br />
reprinted from <strong>the</strong> original, published by <strong>the</strong> Institute of<br />
Papua New Guinea Studies, Port Moresby, 1982.<br />
Kaepler, Adrienne. ‘The structure of Tongan <strong>barkcloth</strong><br />
design’ in Herle, A, Stanley, N, Stevenson, K and Welsch,<br />
RL (eds.). <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>Art</strong>: Persistence, Change and Meaning.<br />
Crawford House Publishing, Adelaide, 2002, pp.291–308.<br />
Klein, Florence (ed.). Tapa: Ecorces et Décors d’Océanie<br />
[exhibition catalogue]. Musée de Nouvelle-Calédonie,<br />
Noumea, 2001.<br />
Kooijman, Simon. Polynesian Barkcloth. Shire<br />
Publications, Princes Risborough, Aylesbury, Bucks, UK,<br />
1988 (Shire Ethnography, 7).<br />
Kooijman, Simon. ‘Tapa in Polynesia’. Bernice P Bishop<br />
Museum Bulletin, no.234, 1972.<br />
Kooijman, Simon. Tapa on Moce Island, Fiji: A Traditional<br />
Handicraft in a Changing Society. Brill Archive, London, 1977.<br />
Lal, Brij and Fortune, Kate (eds.). The <strong>Pacific</strong> Islands:<br />
An Encyclopedia. University of Hawai’i Press, Honolulu,<br />
1999–2000.<br />
Leonard, Anne and Terrell, John. Patterns of Paradise:<br />
The Styles and Significance of Bark Cloth Around <strong>the</strong><br />
World. Field Museum, Chicago, 1980.<br />
Neich, Roger. ‘Material culture in Western Samoa:<br />
Persistence and change’. National Museum of New<br />
Zealand Bulletin, no.23, 1985, pp.42–50.<br />
Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. <strong>Pacific</strong> Tapa.<br />
Auckland Museum, Auckland, 1997.<br />
Page, Maud. ‘<strong>Paperskin</strong>: Barkcloth <strong>across</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong>’.<br />
<strong>Art</strong>lines (Brisbane), no.3, 2009, pp.10–13.<br />
Pinney, Christopher and Thomas, Nicholas (eds.). Beyond<br />
Aes<strong>the</strong>tics: <strong>Art</strong> and <strong>the</strong> Technologies of Enchantment.<br />
Berg Publishers, Oxford, 2001.<br />
Pule, John Puhiatau and Thomas, Nicholas. Hiapo: Past<br />
and Present in Niuean Barkcloth. University of Otago<br />
Press, Dunedin, 2005.<br />
Read, WJ. ‘A snake dance of <strong>the</strong> Baining’. Oceania, vol.3,<br />
1931–32, pp.232–37.<br />
Sharrad, Paul. ‘Trade and textiles in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong> and<br />
India’ in Conroy, Diana Wood and Ru<strong>the</strong>rford, Emma<br />
(eds.). Fabrics of Change: Trading Identities, University of<br />
Wollongong, Wollongong, 2004, pp.12–26.<br />
Teilhet, Jehanne (ed.). Dimensions of Polynesia [exhibition<br />
catalogue]. Fine <strong>Art</strong>s Museum of San Diego, University of<br />
California, San Diego, 1973.<br />
Thomas, Nicholas. Entangled Objects: Exchange,<br />
Material Culture, and Colonialism in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong>. Harvard<br />
University Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1991.<br />
Thomas, Nicholas. Oceanic <strong>Art</strong>. Thames and Hudson,<br />
London, 1995.<br />
Thomas, Nicholas, ‘The case of <strong>the</strong> misplaced ponchos:<br />
Speculations concerning <strong>the</strong> history of cloth in Polynesia’<br />
in Colchester, Chloe (ed.). Clothing <strong>the</strong> <strong>Pacific</strong>. Berg<br />
Publishers, Oxford, 2003, pp.79–97.<br />
Were, Graham and Keuchler, Susanne (eds). <strong>Pacific</strong><br />
Patterns. Thames and Hudson, London, 2005.<br />
Williams, FE. The Drama of Orokolo: The Social and<br />
Ceremonial Life of <strong>the</strong> Elema. Clarendon Press,<br />
Oxford, 1940.<br />
Winter, Joan G (ed). Talking Tapa: Pasifika Bark Cloth in<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> [exhibition catalogue]. Brisbane Multicultural<br />
<strong>Art</strong>s Centre (BEMAC), Brisbane; Keeiara Press,<br />
Southport, Qld, 2009.<br />
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Publishing, Adelaide, SA, 2001.<br />
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Acknowledgments<br />
leNDers<br />
harold Gallasch, hahndorf, south Australia<br />
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>, brisbane<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum, brisbane<br />
PrOJeCT suPPOrT<br />
Thanks are extended to <strong>the</strong> many people and organisations who<br />
generously assisted with this project, particularly:<br />
Dr Chris ballard, Australian National university<br />
Kevin bond, inala elders Aboriginal & Torres strait Corporation<br />
Yvonne Carillo-huffman, Australian Museum<br />
Joan Collins and Musgrave Park Cultural Centre board of Management<br />
Valda Coolwell, brisbane Council of elders<br />
Dr barry Craig, south Australian Museum<br />
Ken Done<br />
Kirk huffman<br />
Vera huntink, Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority<br />
Penelope ikinger, Museum Victoria<br />
Associate Professor richard Moyle, university of Auckland<br />
Nina Nawalowalo<br />
Dr roger Neich, Auckland Museum<br />
reverend Graham Paulson<br />
Fulimalo Pandora Pereira, Auckland Museum<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> Museum Aboriginal and Torres strait islander Consultative<br />
Committee<br />
latai and seini Taumoepeau<br />
Teresia Teaiwa, Victoria university of Wellington<br />
Professor Nicholas Thomas, Cambridge university<br />
John Wilson<br />
ryan Woodward<br />
Dr roderick ewins is especially acknowledged for his advice on contextual<br />
information for <strong>the</strong> exhibition.<br />
QueeNslAND ArT GAllerY<br />
Board of Trustees<br />
Professor John hay, ac (Chair)<br />
Dr Amanda bell<br />
Tim Fairfax, am<br />
Mark Gray<br />
John lobban<br />
David Millhouse<br />
Avril Quaill<br />
David Williams<br />
Executive Management Team<br />
Tony ellwood, Director<br />
Andrew Clark, Deputy Director, Programming and Corporate services<br />
lynne seear, Deputy Director, Curatorial and Collection Development<br />
Celestine Doyle, Manager, Marketing and business Development<br />
Exhibition Project Team<br />
Tarragh Cunningham, exhibition Manager<br />
and staff<br />
Andrew Dudley, head of registration<br />
Desley bischoff, registrar, exhibitions and loans<br />
and staff<br />
Don heron, Design Manager<br />
Jessica White, Assistant exhibition Designer<br />
and staff<br />
Amanda Pagliarino, A/head of Conservation<br />
and staff<br />
suhanya raffel, Curatorial Manager, Asian and <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
and staff<br />
Kate ravenswood, head of Access, education and regional services<br />
Donna McColm, senior Program Officer, education, Children’s <strong>Art</strong> Centre<br />
and Membership<br />
and staff<br />
MuseuM OF NeW ZeAlAND Te PAPA TONGAreWA<br />
78 79<br />
Board<br />
John Judge, bcom fca (Chairman)<br />
Professor Ngatata love<br />
sue Piper<br />
hon sandra lee<br />
Wira Gardiner, dcnzcm<br />
Miria Pomare<br />
Dr Michael bassett, qso<br />
Christopher Parkin<br />
Senior Management Team<br />
Michelle hippolite, Acting Chief executive/ Kaihautu (Maori leader)<br />
Dr Claudia Orange, Collections and research Group Director<br />
Mark Donovan, experience Group Director<br />
Andy Millard, business Group Director<br />
brighid Kelly, Corporate services Group Director<br />
Graeme Quinn, Chief Financial Officer<br />
QueeNslAND MuseuM<br />
Board of Trustees<br />
David liddy (Chairman)<br />
Tim Crommelin<br />
Dr ian Galloway<br />
Anne Jones<br />
lynn rainbow-reid<br />
Mick reilly<br />
Senior Management Team<br />
Dr ian Galloway, ceo<br />
Andrew Moritz, Acting Deputy ceo and Director, The Workshops<br />
railway Museum<br />
bernadette McCormack, Acting Director, <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum south bank<br />
Diana scott, Museum Foundation<br />
Dr Celmara Pocock, head, Cultures and histories<br />
louis sturgess, Public relations<br />
Exhibition Project Team<br />
louise Crossley, Collection Manager, Cultures and histories<br />
Nicholas hadnutt, Assistant Collection Manager<br />
Peter Volk, Assistant Collection Manager<br />
leonie Coghill, Manager, Aboriginal and Torres strait islander relations<br />
Geraldine Mate, Acting senior Curator, Cultures and histories<br />
Michael Quinnell, former senior Curator, Cultures and histories<br />
Davina hacklin, senior Conservator<br />
Jennifer blackley, Conservator<br />
elizabeth Thompson, Conservator<br />
Curatorial Team<br />
Maud Page, Curator, <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>Art</strong>, QAG (co-curator)<br />
sean Mallon, senior Curator, <strong>Pacific</strong> Cultures, Te Papa Tongarewa (cocurator)<br />
imelda Miller, Assistant Curator, Torres strait islander and <strong>Pacific</strong><br />
indigenous studies, QM (co-curator)<br />
ruth McDougall, Curatorial Assistant, Asian and <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>Art</strong>, QAG<br />
robyn Ziebell, Project Officer, Asian and <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>Art</strong>, QAG<br />
Publication<br />
Judy Gunning, head of information and Publishing services, QAG<br />
rebecca Dezuanni, A/senior editor, QAG<br />
stephanie Kennard, Project Assistant, Publications, QAG<br />
Don heron, Design Manager, QAG<br />
Angelina Martinez, Graphic Designer, QAG<br />
Clinton Wong, Multimedia and Web Assistant, QAG<br />
Photography of works in <strong>the</strong> Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa<br />
collection supplied by Te Papa; art works in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong><br />
Collection photographed by Natasha harth, Photographer, QAG; art<br />
works in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum Collection photographed by Jeff Wright,<br />
Photographer, QM. All o<strong>the</strong>r photography credited as known.
Authors<br />
Maud Page<br />
Maud Page took up her appointment as Curator, Contemporary <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
at <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> in February 2002. she curated <strong>the</strong> ‘Pasifika<br />
Divas’ component of <strong>the</strong> Asia <strong>Pacific</strong> Triennial of Contemporary <strong>Art</strong> in 2002,<br />
‘island beats’ (2004), and has been a member of <strong>the</strong> curatorium for <strong>the</strong><br />
Asia <strong>Pacific</strong> Triennials in 2002, 2006 and 2009. Prior to joining <strong>the</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong>,<br />
Maud lectured in museum studies at <strong>the</strong> university of sydney, and was<br />
Curator and Coordinator of <strong>Pacific</strong> Projects at <strong>the</strong> djamu <strong>Gallery</strong>, Australian<br />
Museum, where she curated Michael Parekowhai’s ‘Kitset Cultures’<br />
in 1999. Maud was also a member of <strong>the</strong> curatorium for Quai branly’s<br />
‘Photoquai biennial 2009’ in Paris. she is curator of a major exhibition of<br />
contemporary New Zealand art for <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong> <strong>Gallery</strong> in 2010,<br />
which will also tour to <strong>the</strong> National <strong>Gallery</strong> of Victoria.<br />
sean Mallon<br />
sean Mallon is senior Curator <strong>Pacific</strong> Cultures at <strong>the</strong> Museum of New<br />
Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. he is a New Zealander of samoan and<br />
irish descent and holds an MA in Anthropology from Victoria university,<br />
Wellington. sean has written a number of publications on samoan art and<br />
contemporary Polynesian art, including samoan <strong>Art</strong> & <strong>Art</strong>ists: O Measina<br />
a Samoa (Craig Potton Publishing, 2002) and is co-editor, along with<br />
Pandora Fulimalo Pereira, of <strong>Pacific</strong> <strong>Art</strong> Niu Sila: The <strong>Pacific</strong> Dimension of<br />
New Zealand’s Contemporary <strong>Art</strong>s (Te Papa Press, 2002) and Speaking<br />
in Color: Conversations with <strong>Art</strong>ists of <strong>Pacific</strong> Island Heritage. sean is<br />
co-contributor, with Nicholas Thomas, Peter brunt and Mark Adams, to<br />
Tatau: Samoan Tattooing, New Zealand <strong>Art</strong>, Global Culture (Te Papa Press,<br />
forthcoming). With Peter brunt, he is co-convener of <strong>the</strong> Marsden funded<br />
research project <strong>Art</strong> in Oceania: A History.<br />
80<br />
imelda Miller<br />
imelda Miller is Assistant Curator, Torres strait islander and <strong>Pacific</strong><br />
indigenous studies, at <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> Museum, where she has worked<br />
extensively with <strong>the</strong> Australian south sea islander Kastom Collection for<br />
13 years. An Australian with ni-Vanuatu heritage, imelda’s principal area<br />
of interest is <strong>the</strong> history of south sea islander labour in <strong>Queensland</strong>. she<br />
assisted with <strong>the</strong> research and development behind <strong>the</strong> 2001 exhibition<br />
‘refined White’, which followed <strong>the</strong> history of around 62 000 people,<br />
predominantly from <strong>the</strong> solomon islands and Vanuatu, transported to<br />
<strong>Queensland</strong> between 1863 and 1904 as labour for <strong>the</strong> <strong>Queensland</strong> sugar<br />
industry.<br />
Vivian Marumi<br />
Papua New Guinea b.1980<br />
Omie people, Oro Province<br />
Odunege 4 (Jungle vines 4) 2006<br />
Barkcloth, dye / 163 x 99cm /<br />
Purchased 2007. <strong>Queensland</strong> <strong>Art</strong><br />
<strong>Gallery</strong> Foundation<br />
81