Marafetu Togakilo Smith (born c. 1925)[1] is a weaver and community activist from Niue. She founded the first Niuean weaving group in Auckland, and her work is held in the collections of Auckland War Memorial Museum and Te Papa.

Career

In 1984, Smith founded the first Niuean weaving group in Auckland, called Tufuga Mataponiu a Niue.[2][3] She eventually ran several groups for women from separate villages in Niue.[4][5] Her sister Eseta Patii was also a weaver.[2] Smith is also a dancer and choreographer, working with women's groups.[6] She is also a former co-ordinator of the Niue Village at the Pasifika Festival.[3] In 2000, she attended the Pacific Arts Festival in Nouméa.[7] In 2007, Smith accompanied Anand Satyanand to Niue, where a symposium of Niuean weaving was held.[8] In 2009, she was appointed to Creative New Zealand's Pacific Arts Committee, alongside Frances Hartnell.[3]

Legacy

Auckland War Memorial Museum has one of Smith's designs in its collection.[9] Two woven pieces by her are in the Te Papa collection: a basket called a Kato Fuakina and an 'ei (headpiece).[10][11] Works created by weaving groups that Smith facilitated are held in the collection of the University of Auckland.[12]

Awards

References

  1. ↑ "Matafetu Smith". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 Bentley, Paulina. "Weaving the present". Auckland War Memorial Museum.
  3. 1 2 3 "ARTBEAT". Stuff. 23 July 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  4. ↑ Hermann, Elfriede; Kempf, Wolfgang; Meijl, Toon van (1 September 2014). Belonging in Oceania: Movement, Place-Making and Multiple Identifications. Berghahn Books. ISBN 978-1-78238-416-8.
  5. ↑ Branch, New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs Historical (1993). Women Together: A History of Women's Organisations in New Zealand : Ngā Rōpū Wāhine O Te Motu. Historical Branch, Department of Internal Affairs. ISBN 978-0-908896-29-5.
  6. ↑ "Ace weavers make a song and dance of it". NZ Herald. 13 May 2001. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021.
  7. ↑ Middleton, Julie (1 April 2008). "A fair go for Pacific women role models: Review of Pasifika women: Our stories in New Zealand, by Sandra Kailahi". Pacific Journalism Review: Te Koakoa. 14 (1): 224–227. doi:10.24135/pjr.v14i1.935. ISSN 2324-2035.
  8. ↑ "Niuean Community Reception". gg.govt.nz. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  9. ↑ "t-shirt". Auckland War Memorial Museum.
  10. ↑ "Kato Fuakina". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  11. ↑ "'ei (headpiece)". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  12. 1 2 "Weaving Residency - The University of Auckland". www.auckland.ac.nz. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
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