11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art

NOTES 1 ‘Aunofo Havea Funaki, online conversation with the author, 8 March 2024. 2 Sue Scheele and Peter Sweetapple, ‘Kuta and Kāpūngāwhā – Eleocharis sphacelata and Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani ’ , Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research , <landcareresearch.co.nz/ tools-and-resources/ collections/new-zealand- flax-collections/weaving- plants/kuta-and/>, viewed March 2024. 3 Funaki, online conversation with the author, 30 June 2023. Funaki is the first woman from Tonga to become a licensed sea captain, and in 2011, she captained a vaka (traditional outrigger canoe) that sailed from the Pacific to the west coast of the United States, as part of the Te Mana o Te Moana (The Spirit of the Ocean) voyage. 4 Over time, a focus on scale has meant that some elements of the practice have fallen away, including dyeing techniques and the use of pattern and texture to aid visual storytelling. 5 Funaki, online conversation with the author, 10 March 2024. The translation of hemehema loutoa is slanted toa leaf, and the pattern is created through the technique of winding twine around a curved papa koka’anga (printing table). 6 Kutu/kuta weaving practices can be found across the Pacific, most prominently in Fiji, Hawai‘i, Aotearoa New Zealand and Tonga, with the locations correlating to the distinctive ecosystems where the plants thrive. The inhabitants of Tu‘anuku village in Vava‘u, Tonga, are custodians of the nation’s largest freshwater ecosystem surrounding Lake Ano. Integral to this role is the practice of weaving kutu ( Eleocharis dulcis , also known as Chinese water chestnut). The villagers periodically harvest and carefully process the kutu’s slender reeds as a fibre for culturally significant mats and wearable textiles. 1 Kutu plants grow on the edge of freshwater marshes, where the thick accumulation of nutrient-rich sediment and mud allows them to flourish. Due to the plant’s ability to recycle oxygen, the hollow leaves grow up to two metres long and can survive in water equally as deep. Kutu plants provide oxygen to small aquatic insects, protect small fish species and purify waterways, while regular harvesting of the culms (stalks) helps to keep the plants healthy. 2 Compared to other weaving materials, dried kutu reeds are notably water-resistant and soft, due to their tube-like structure. These qualities add value to fala kuta (household/ceremonial mats) and ta‘ovala (formal dress mats), and both the mats and the dried kutu reeds are sought out and traded across the Pacific. ‘Aunofo Havea Funaki was born and raised in Tu‘anuku village. As the eldest daughter in her family, she learnt to weave from a young age to support her family’s cultural duties and to provide an important source of income. Today, as a mother, community leader and renowned seafarer, her weaving practice is deeply infused by her transpacific experiences and relationships, together with her commitment to honour the important role that women play in the sustainable care of both the environment and cultural knowledge. 3 The continuation of the practice of kutu weaving in Tu‘anuku is predominantly driven by the demands of Tonga’s royal family, not only because of the scarcity and value of the reeds, but because the village is the original estate of the Finau ‘Ulukalala dynasty, which ruled Vava‘u from the early 1700s to 1970, and maintains a direct connection to the current monarchy. For special occasions, the ‘Ulukalala chief requests the village weavers make a number of large ngatu (barkcloths) and corresponding fala kuta. This has resulted in the weavers of Tu‘anuku being renowned for producing the largest fala kuta in the region. 4 Funaki’s role in leading the design and creation of Fala Kuta e Toa ko Tavakefai‘ana 2024, on display in the Asia Pacific Triennial, signifies her longstanding aspiration to support her community in celebrating the significance of local stories, natural resources, traditional knowledge and the responsibilities of custodianship. For this piece, Funaki worked with members of her family and the local Lepamahanga Women’s Group to create a weaving outside their normal boundaries of scale, incorporating both ancient and new symbols and patterns. The title of the work refers to the chiefly bird — the tavake — that is a symbol for the ‘Ulukalala lineage and their dominion over the four familial clans of Tu‘anuku village. The foundational kupesi (pattern) re-imagines an ancient symbol originating from hemehema loutoa, while the four radiating lines surrounding the three fo‘i hea (symbolic dots) represent the four clans’ duties to protect and support the ‘Ulukalala chief. 5 Each kupesi is layered with meaning, enriching the process that has become a catalyst for intergenerational conversations about lesser-known local histories. The significance of the making process was further heightened by a period of unexpected drought on the island. Quality reeds were scarce and grazing animals moved beyond their usual boundaries in search of drinking water, affecting kutu growth. It took the women twice as long to harvest the kutu from isolated and untended parts of the wetlands, urgently highlighting the need to protect these delicate ecosystems. 6 ‘Aunofo Havea Funaki and the members of the Lepamahanga Women’s Group hope that their work will both inform future kutu production by focusing on nurturing the health of island ecologies, and connect the local stories, experiences and artistic practices of this unique region to global discourses on environmental sustainability. RUHA FIFITA ‘AUNOFOHAVEA FUNAKI BORN 1972, VAVA‘U, TONGA LIVES +WORKS IN VAVA‘U THE LEPAMAHANGA WOMEN’SGROUP ESTABLISHED 2016, TU‘ANUKU VILLAGE, VAVA‘U, TONGA ‘AUNOFOHAVEA FUNAKI ANDTHE LEPAMAHANGA WOMEN’SGROUP Members of the Lepamahanga Women’s Group weaving Fala Kuta e Toa Ko Tavakefai’ana 2024 / Images courtesy: The artists ARTISTS+PROJECTS ASIAPACIFICTRIENNIAL 88 — 89