The Art of Tuvalu

Climate Change through the eyes of artists in Tuvalu

What are we fighting for when we are fighting against climate change?

For the 10,000 people of Tuvalu, who live on limited land no more than 15 feet above sea level, climate change is more than just about its science – the rising sea levels, warming temperatures, changing tropical cyclone patterns, or ocean acidification. It’s also, and perhaps more importantly, about culture and art – its island identities and societies comprising the “land of eight traditions”, including its powerful songs, beautiful dances, and intricately woven mats and fans that may be lost or changed because of climate change.

Kolose -Photo by Sam Harnett
When attending a Tuvaluan event, women can often be found working together on their kolose or crochet, reflecting the cultural environment where Pacific people grow up in, with no separation between art, culture and life.

Tuvaluan woman performing a traditional dance at Auckland's Pasifika Festival in 2011.

Avenue - Own work

A young woman, a proud Tuvaluan girl dances on the Tuvalu stage at the 2011 Pasifika festival, Auckland, New Zealand.

By juxtaposing the two very different ways in which kolose can be exhibited, Mahina-Tuai and Papau seemed to be asking audiences to ponder the gap between the arts industry of the West and the cultures of Pacific societies like Niutao. They seemed to be asking, in particular, why Pasifika cultural artefacts like kolose have traditionally been excluded from art galleries in New Zealand and other Western nations.

Men carve a canoe on Nanumea Atoll, Tuvalu.

Angela K. Kepler

Decorating a Tuvalu mat on Vaitupu Nov 2016 Photo Credit: Malofou Auina

Cargo is offloaded from tenders that transfer passengers & cargo between the inter-island ferries and each of the outer islands of Tuvalu (here on the island of Niutao). A hazardous exercise, fraught with risk for passengers & the crew of the tenders.

Cesqld - Own work

Woman on Funafuti

Harold Clifford Fassett - National Archives & Records Administration (NARA)

A man from the Tuvalu island of Nukufetau, 1831

Unknown

Art is not what you see but what you make others see

- Edgar Degas
On 7th July 2015, an art exhibit, a first of its kind, on climate change was hosted in Funafuti, through the GEF financed National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA I and II) and Ridge to Reef projects that are implemented in partnership between the Government of Tuvalu and UNDP. A wide range of traditional and contemporary local artists contributed their artwork – all recording in their unique ways the richness of life in Tuvalu and the relationship between the environment and culture.

HOW DO YOU WANT THE WORLD TO REMEMBER TUVALU BEFORE THE SUN SETS?

What are the things in life that you value most as a Tuvaluan that you would like to share with the world? What shapes your identity as a Tuvaluan? What are your hopes and fears for the future of Tuvalu? And what do you want to pass on to the next generation of Tuvaluans?
Nine Tuvaluan artists were challenged to explore these questions through art. Below are selection of art work and discussions generated through this reflective process.

Costume, Ellice's Group

Alfred Thomas Agate

TOGALA: Sunsets

BY Falemiti Katea

“Togala, or the West, is where the Sun sets in Tuvalu. Togala is also where strong winds come. Strong winds in fierce, storms surges spring forth to destroy homes, livelihoods and drown the land. Bebe, Ofa, Kina…. and Pam! Or Bam! All cyclones in the past that have challenged the islands of Tuvalu from the West.
Togala, from the west, daylight ceases and night falls. Togala, which also means“falling,” as the sun fades into the horizon.
Don’t let it fall. Evoke Tuvalu and hark back to all that is to it. To all that made you call yourself a Tuvaluan.”

A young woman who holds Tuvalu and Australian citizenship addressed the crowd at the State Library. Speech ======= Today I am talking on behalf of Make Poverty History. Climate change is happening. It is real. We don't have time to argue with skeptics. While we waste time debating in our parliament and in our media, millions of the world's most vulnerable and poor people are being hit hard by it's effects despite being the least responsible. I know this, I was born in Tuvalu. It is a small nation of 9 low lying atolls. At only 1 metre above sea level we are feeling the effects of the rising tides and the changing weather patterns. Our food crops are being destroyed by saltwater seeping up through the coral, and the king tides that wash across our small atolls are becoming more common and increasingly severe. This threatens our local food supply and our ability to live off the land. For us, continuing with business as usual means that within the next 10 to 20 years our land will become uninhabitable and our population of 12,000 people will be forced to relocate. This threatens our identity, our culture and our very existence. We are not the only ones. All over the world countries are being affected by climate change. Only in poor countries where money and resources are scarce it is difficult to adapt. It is estimated that the number of people affected by climate related disasters is likely to increase by 54 per cent to 375 million people in the next 6 years. And while the poor suffer rich countries like Australia do nothing for fear that in reducing emissions it will hinder economic growth. For Tuvalu this is not a question of economics. It is a question of survival, of injustice, of human rights. This is life and death. In Australia our Government refuses to respond with the urgency and leadership required to halt climate change and turn this around. We need to commit to reducing our emissions by at least 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020. We need to apply substantial funding to support affected countries in adapting to climate change and to develop a low carbon pathway and to a sustainable future. Copenhagen must deliver a fair, ambitious and legally binding climate deal to prevent catastrophic climate change and minimise the affect on poor countries. The Australian Government is supposed to represent its people, and we are not being represented. We need to send a strong message that we will not stand for this inaction any longer. There is hope for Tuvalu and for all nations affected and it lies with us. Gandhi said 'be the change you want to see in the world'. We can be that change. We must be that change. We can turn this around but we need to act immediately and effectively. Please, research the issue surrounding climate change and arm yourself with knowledge. Learn more about what is at stake and talk about it in your workplaces, your schools, your community. Take direct action, reduce your own emissions, write to your local MP, live local, ride your bike, grow your own food, vote with your dollar, consume less. Inspire others to do the same. There is hope. Look around you. Look at all the people here today. And during today introduce yourself to other people and thank each other for being here, because we have an enormous challenge ahead of us and we need to support each other to create the change necessary to secure a safe climate for us all. Thankyou ====== On December 12 2009, while the COP15 climate negotiations were taking place in Copenhagen, around the globe people protested for an ambitious and fair climate treaty. These are photos from the Melbourne Walk against Warming. According to the ABC the Nature Conservation Council estimated 40,000 people took part in the march. Activists congregated in front of the State Library where speeches ocurred before marching down Swanston Street through Melbourne's CBD to Princes Bridge, where they formed a human sign to call for more meaningful action on climate change. See Video at Engagemedia (5:58) or Youtube (4:15)

Takver from Australia

Te Titi Tao: Skirts

By Primary Students from Nauti and Seventh Day Adventist Schools

Te titi tao is a traditional Tuvalu skirt placed upon another skirt, titi kaulama when performing the Fatele. Fatele is similar to the I-Kiribati word Patere and Tokelau fatele which all refer to a form of traditional dance. The vibrant colours of the titi compliment and complete a female dancer. The colours represent the diversities of life being woven together.
The titi is made of pandanus leaves, collected, pealed, dried and dyed using tongo (Rhizophora spp) and nonu (Morinda citrifolia) under the sun for many months. The art of making a titi tao is passed down from Fafinematua (elder woman) to the Tamaliki Fafine (young girls) awaiting for their first Fatele.
The Fatele is a central part of island life in Tuvalu - it is a gathering for celebration, harmony, and unity. It’s about being present in the moment together. And together here and now, we are Tuvaluans.

A Tuvalu woman 1894

Unknown

Te fou ote tamafine: flower crown

By Falemiti Katea

Te fou ote tamafine means the garland of a young woman. Fou (garland or flower crown) is an important feature of traditional wear. It is made of flowers and leaves woven together in a pattern. The colours represents the diverse but limited flowering plants of Tuvalu.
There is common saying in Tuvalu “tou fou ne filigina ki muna mo pati tapu ote fale” meaning your garland was made from the wisdom of your home. A mother makes a fou from tiale (gardenia), pua (guattarda), and melia (frangipani), wishing her daughter beauty and courage for her journey. A young girl’s life is symbolized by the pula (flowers) of the fou that she wears throughout her life - it’s her identity and hopes for the future as a Tuvaluan woman.

Walking home after collecting clean drinking water from a public collection point, set up in response to the drought, Tuvalu, 2011. Photo: DFAT

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade - Walking home after collecting clean drinking water from a public collection point, set up in response to the drought, Tuvalu, 2011. Photo: DFAT

Kope ote olaga: artefacts

by JACK TALEKA; Tenene Nelu; Loia Solomona; SAVEA KALISI; Tautai Mila

Kope ote olaga (possessions of life) is a display of the various artefacts of Tuvalu culture, which forged the lives on the sparsely grouped islands of Tuvalu. Each artefacts symbolizes knowledge, hardship, and survival.
Kolokolo (string) is essential for making fishing nets and traps, cutting toddy (sweets made of coconut sap), building canoes, and tying down the beams and roofs of homes. Kolokolo is made by elder men who roll dry coconut husk on their knees. The craft is handed down from father to son.
Kope ote olaga are passed down and modified through generations to ensure they are equipped with the tools and values essential to Tuvalu’s island life - so that the culture and identity of Tuvalu are carved within the minds of the next generation.

Tamala of Nukufetau atoll, Ellice Islands (circa 1900-1910)

Neville Chatfield - Published work

Regards,

Dr.Rechard.

Te Mana Pouliga!

The dark omen! Tides of change with binary fusion influencing culture. Tuvalu way of living is changing and changing rapidly…and might disappear forever!
But our ancestors have taught us to fish even in the darkest nights. We will follow the light lid by the culture and identity of Tuvalu.

Tuvalu Pasifika 2011 Nukulaelae Dancers courtesy Michael Naisali

Mai mua e too te la: Before the sun sets

The Art of Tuvalu is colourful, peaceful, and powerful. It represents their identities rooted in their islands that have been carefully passed down from generations to generations until today.
At the forefront of climate change, Tuvalu is fighting to keep this rich culture, which goes beyond the number and science negotiated at the international forums.
It is for our unique culture and identity that we want the world to remember before the sun sets. But moreover, what we hope most for is for many more sunsests to come.

Women Selling Handicrafts,
Funafuti, Tuvalu

funafuti

‏ @BakhodirUNDP

People are the real wealth of #Tuvalu: #TCAPGCF will invest in helping Tuvaluan women and men obtain degrees in #climatechange adaptation disciplines @GCF_News @UNDPasiapac

UNDP Pacific & PNG, TCAP4Tuvalu, Osnat Lubrani e

Footnotes: Text & Photos by Eliala Lotoala Fihaki. Edited by Shoko Takemoto. Special Thanks to Tessa Miller who facilitated with art training and the Artists of Tuvalu.

Funafuti, Tuvalu