Our Treasures: Tokelauan way of life on display at Kiwi North

Men carrying bananas in Tokelau, 1981. This image is part of the Te Papa exhibition Faka-Tokelau: Living With Change on display at Kiwi North. Photo / Glenn Jowitt

A thought-provoking new exhibition, Faka-Tokelau: Living With Change, opened last weekend in the Mim Ringer Gallery here at Kiwi North.

It is a Te Papa travelling exhibition that explores Tokelau’s unique way of life through the lenses of two New Zealand photographers, Glenn Jowitt and Andrew Matautia. Jowitt first visited Tokelau in 1981, and Matautia 36 years later in 2017.

It is interesting to compare the photos in the exhibition - to spot the similarities, especially with regard to culture, but also to see the dramatic changes in the land upon which 1500 people live.

Jowitt was a renowned photographer who believed in “using the camera in a gentle way”. He had more than 70 books published and his photos featured in multiple exhibitions, both in New Zealand and internationally. His work celebrates culture all over the world, but much of it focuses on the culture of people in the Pacific. Jowitt passed away in 2014.

Three years after Jowitt’s passing, Matautia travelled to Tokelau. He describes himself as an indigenous storyteller. Born in Samoa, he now lives in New Zealand and works as a multimedia artist, specialising in telling diverse stories of people. His stunning drone footage over Tokelau is included in the exhibition, Faka-Tokelau: Living With Change.

Siniva Kalolo holding a fishing net in Atafu, Tokelau in 2017. Photo / Andrew Matautia

Tokelau is a Polynesian territory of New Zealand made up of three atolls, Fakaofo, Nukunonu and Atafu, and is situated around 480 kilometres north of Samoa. These atolls have a combined land area of just 12 square kilometres and are only two metres above sea level at the highest point. Due to the size and low-lying location of Tokelau, it is vulnerable to changing weather patterns, including tropical cyclones, which have become more severe and frequent in recent years.

The term “Faka-Tokelau” literally refers to the Tokelauan way of life. This way of life is centred on family and community, which is highlighted by the photos on display in the exhibition. Change is constant in Tokelau, and locals tackle every challenge collectively. One of the most difficult challenges for this island nation is its remoteness. There is no airport and no established tourism industry.

Travel to and from the atolls is by sea only, on fortnightly boat services from Apia in Samoa. It takes 24 hours to get to the southernmost atoll, and 30 hours to reach Atafu. Tokelau is among many islands in the Pacific Ocean to have been heavily impacted by rising sea levels, including five from the Solomon Islands archipelago, which were the first to be lost entirely. The nine islands of Tuvalu are also low-lying, with the highest point being just 4.5 metres above sea level. Rising sea levels and dangerous high tides have Tuvalu considering resettlement plans.

Birds among palm fronds, Atafu, Tokelau, 2017. Photo / Andrew Matautia

Sea levels in New Zealand are rising, on average, by 3.5 millimetres per year. This global concern is caused by the thermal expansion of the ocean, melting land-based glaciers and the melting of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.

The vulnerabilities faced in Tokelau due to the ever-present threat of rising sea levels are evident in both Jowitt’s images from 1981 and Matautia’s in the present day. This exhibition compares and contrasts the two artist’s images alongside one another, revealing the constant, ongoing change on Tokelau’s fragile atolls.

Faka-Tokelau: Living With Change runs until August 20 and is included with general admission to Kiwi North.

The Te Papa travelling exhibition Faka-Tokelau: Living With Change is on at Kiwi North in Whangārei.