In collaboration with Lagi Maama and the Tiare Taina māmās, Howick Historical Village is pleased to present a display of treasured textiles from Moana Oceania. This installation, held during Auckland Heritage Festival 2024, showcases the fibre art traditions of the interconnected islands within this ecosystem, and explores the cross-cultural connections between these art forms and the Western crafts of quilting and needlework.
Engage your own creativity and join us for special crafting sessions to make a colorful, felt blanket stitch badge, or play with patterns to make a felt placemat or artwork inspired by the appliqué motifs of Cook Island tīvaevae textiles during the school holidays!
About the Exhibition
Treasured textiles and garments of Oceania Moana are heirlooms - markers of identity and heritage - passed down through generations. Through embroidery and appliqué, intricate patterns of tiare (flowers) and manu (birds) spread joyously across colourful fabric, showcasing the ceremonial language of women and their collective craftsmanship. Born out of historical conversations, conflicts, and kaupapa between Christian Missionaries and the Indigenous peoples of the islands located throughout the Pacific Ocean, traditional textiles of Moana Oceania interweave indigenous knowledge into cross-cultural encounters with the Western crafts of quilting and needlework.
The exhibition foregrounds the traditional material of the Fijian masi (tapa cloth) as significant taonga for life-cycle events. After the arrival of the missionaries in the 1800s, Moana Oceania textiles undergo a material shift, as seen in the Cook Islands tīvaevae and Kiribati tibuta. Juxtaposed with the earlier Fijian material culture, these nationally symbolic techniques are drawn from missionary influence, interwoven with the layers of the quilts and smocking that traveled the world with them.
Join us as we explore textile traditions from Te-moana-nui-a-kiwa to Aotearoa New Zealand, all set in dialogue with historic quilts from the Howick Historical Village collection. Featuring Cook Island tīvaevae and Fijian masi, as well as works by artisans from Moana Oceania, explore interconnected influences through these remarkable textiles.
Admission: adult $16, senior/student $13, child $8, child under 5 free, family $40. No bookings required. Open Tues-Sun 10am-4pm. Last admission at 3pm.