By Leone Samu (former Associate Curator, Documentary Heritage, Pacific Collections)
In 2008, a group of Porirua-based Atafu elders who had migrated to New Zealand in the 1960s and 1970s published a booklet entitled Hikuleo i te papa o Tautai. The booklet was written in gagana Tokelau and detailed the traditional fishing methods of Atafu. In 2012, the elders’ booklet was edited and translated into English by Emeritus Professor Anthony Hooper and Dr Iuta Tinielu under the title Echoes on Fishermen’s Rock.
Master fishermen are known as tautai in gagana Tokelau. Although tautai may once have closely guarded this body of fishing knowledge, the elders elected to share their knowledge with the intent of passing it on to youth especially those growing up outside of Tokelau.
This desire to share with the next generation has been similarly reflected in the generosity of Auckland-based Tokelauan elders who participated in Auckland Museum’s Pacific Collection Access Project (PCAP). Over several talanoa sessions in early 2019, these elders discussed Tokelauan fishing practices and the prowess of tautai, among other topics which helped to increase our documentation and understanding of the Tokelauan treasures in the Pacific collection. These talanoa were facilitated by the Community Lead for the Tokelauan community, Reverend Iutana Pue. The records of many of the objects examined can be explored through Collections Online.
Image: Pā taki aheu (pearl shell fishing lure); AWMM 1970.208, 43862. Attributed to Dr Iona Tinielu of Fakaofo, tautai and trained medical doctor.