tour 25 of 26
Power and Taboo: sacred objects from the Pacific
Quilt (tivaevae)
The wives of missionaries introduced cloth
sewing to the islanders of the eastern Pacific. Many women greeted
these new skills and materials with enthusiasm and the manufacture
of barkcloth, the traditional material out of clothing was made,
gradually declined.
In the
Cook, Hawaiian and Society islands, women began to make large
appliqué quilts known as
tivaevae.
This
tivaevae, made as a bed
cover with two matching pillowcases, comes from the Cook Islands.
Its yellow flowers and light green leaves are based on the
breadfruit tree and were designed and cut by Mrs Ake Takaiti, a
nurse at the hospital in Rarotonga who is known for her drawing and
cutting skills. It was sewn by Mrs Ake Mingi from Teenui village on
Atiu island for a competition organised by the Cook Islands
Christian Church in 2001. She has five children and started sewing
tivaevae when she got
married in
1963.
Tivaevae
are treated as heirlooms in the Cook Islands
today.