Events

Pacific Collection Access Project

The Pacific Collection Access Project at the Auckland Museum is a 3 year project that hopes to build knowledge of the Pacific treasures, provide safety for the collection as well as increase public access & engagement, especially for Pacific communities.

Treasures such as musical instruments, tools, ornaments and carvings from 13 different island nations/groupings will be brought out of storage, catalogued, conserved and photographed over the next three years. These 13 islands will be worked on in alphabetical order with the Cook Islands being the first as part of the Pacific Collection Access Project.

Fulimalo Pereira, the curator of the Pacific Collections at Auckland Museum said of the project "It's finally nice to get the Pacfic Collection Access Project up & running. As you probably already know we're doing the islands alphabetically and so of course the Cook Islands comes first and it's been just an absolute joy having the Mamas (Mama Mary Ama & Mama Kimi Hakaoro) and Papa William Hakaoro work through the collection with us. What we required of them was the Cook Islands names of the objects, an idea of how they might be manufactured and the processing of the material that goes into the making of them. All of that information will enrich our database. The collection is already online and just being able to add information from knowledge holders, from makers, from contermporary artists who we're working with also will just enrich the database for everybody. Not just for an academic audience but also for the young Cook Islanders who are here and may be away from home. They're our primary audience".

Left to Right: Fuli Pereira, AM Pacific Curator, Mama Ruita Teokotai (who gifted to the Museum a tivaevae) and Megan Denz, Collection Manager

Cook Island community representatives L-R Mama Mary Ama, Mama Kimi Hakaoro & Papa William Hakaoro. Standing: Ruth Strickland

"Akairo a te Taunga" is the name that has been gifted to the Cook Islands collection project by Mama Mary Ama and Papa William Hakaoro. The collection was then blessed by church ministers in late May as work got underway. The Cook Islands collection contains over 800 items and the Mamas & Papa William have been working closely with the museum to update the museums database and get it ready for viewing.

Mama Mary who is from Takitumu in Rarotonga says of working on the project "We try very hard to come in twice a week and it works well. We come at 10am and we go up to 2pm. The good thing about this is that it gives us a chance to link back to our culture. We can't say that we are perfect but we have mastered the language and that's what's important. We have to pause to think what is the right word. If you only know an art piece without the language it's not going to work because thats the most important - understanding the reo. You also have to have a good memory of what happened and how it connects. It builds up a very strong connection. If I don't know these things then Papa William comes from the northern group (he's Penrhyn) and they are very strong in their knowledge and the beauty of these Northern people is that they took over the South too! (Laughs) Mama Kimi is Rakahanga, Mauke, Rarotonga, Ngaputoru. We had the launch and it was beautiful!

I don't have a favourite piece that I've seen so far but it's more like I'm seeing things that I wouldn't have had the chance to see if I hadn't come here. It really makes me feel good that I've had this opportunity and I actually got to see a kete made by an old lady from Ngatangiia (Marys village) and I knew the old lady because I used to tease her and I didn't know she knows how to weave you know? So I've planned that the next time I go to Rarotonga I must go to see the family and acknowledge it. It was lovely and that was something that I felt like you're reconnecting back to the people you know"

In celebration of Cook Islands Language week, the museum has extended an invite to the public for a special viewing of the Cook Islands taunga (treasures) which is part of the Pacific Collection Access Project. It's a great opportunity to meet the Auckland Museum staff looking after these treasures but also to see what goes on behind the scenes.

When: 06 August 2016 at 12.30pm

Where: Auckland Museum

What: Akairo a te Taunga - Cook Islands treasures of the Pacific Collection Access Project

IMPORTANT: Bookings are essential!

Please contact Barbara Afitu with any questions and to make a booking:

Email:
Phone: 09 302 3996 ext 7332

More info on the Pacific Collection Access Project here.

Poly Archive - The Cook Islands Look Ahead 1965