During the ninth Pacific Arts Festival in the Republic of Palau (22–31 July 2004), the Gallery acquired a group of 16 works (2004.211–226) with the aim of furthering the growing Pacific collection of woven bags and body adornment objects, particularly lei. Fine examples were acquired from the three distinct cultural regions of Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia.

The travelling Pacific Arts Festival (more formally known as the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, or FestPAC) occurs every four years in different locations throughout the Pacific. They have become the largest event gathering islanders from across this vast oceanic region. The geographical distance of the Republic of Palau reduced the number of visitors and undoubtedly contributed to the smaller, more intimate feel of this festival. The ninth festival motto was 'nurture, regenerate and celebrate' and its organisers stressed the importance of the 'retention of island culture and spirit' offering the principal message that 'knowledge of one generation should be transmitted to the next'.¹ Perhaps as a response to this theme, performances and objects displayed during the festival were customary in appearance. The use of contemporary materials such as plastics was not evident and much of the work was produced using traditional materials and processes. Festival organisers also departed from the previous two events which dedicated exhibitions to contemporary artworks — these also incorporated weaving and carving and accompanied the repeated expo-type village format used from the Pacific Arts Festival's inception in the 1980s. The implications of this change in direction are difficult to assess. Whether there was a deliberate interference in the polemics of 'art' and 'craft', or an aim to return to idyllic concepts of 'authenticity', will only be known upon seeing the production of Pacific cultural material in the next four years and at the tenth Pacific Arts Festival.

The location of the festival in the Republic of Palau provided unprecedented opportunity to experience and acquire examples of Micronesian contemporary culture. Migration and cultural visibility from this region tends to be greater in the United States as they administered many of the islands after World War Two. Marshallese women produce distinctive woven objects made from pandanus, hibiscus and coconut fibres. The latter material is washed, beaten and dried until a very white colour is obtained which distinguishes the work of the women. Emilyann Jibae is a 16-year-old weaver who learnt the practice from her mother on the outer Marshall island of Arno. The perfectly 'boxed' appearance of her two bags are achieved by creating a strong pandanus shell that is woven over a wooden block to ensure and strengthen the shape. Thin strips of coconut fibre are then delicately woven over the pandanus base. The buttons are coiled hibiscus fibre, which are affixed to the bag on completion. Using similar materials, Madison Hemry from Likiep Atoll in the Marshall Islands created two fans, which are ubiquitous forms of body adornment throughout the Pacific. In his detailed research on Marshallese material culture, Professor Dirk HR Spennemann has argued for the similarity of these with those made on Kiribati, deliberating whether techniques have been exchanged during major workshops and other events.²

The other main focus of this group of works is the lei. This ceremonial, celebrative and performative object has undergone much change since its early organic configurations. Recently acquired lei are made of wrapping ribbon, sushi soy sauce container bottles and tracing paper. This new grouping extends the range of material even further to include crochet wool, natural fibres and feathers. Juanita Carlos was born in Palau but lives on the outer islands of Yap where she was taught how to make these particular crochet necklaces with aluminium can ring-pulls. The lei have now become part of the national Yapese costume and were visible during the performance events at the festival. Although not strictly a lei, but worn on similar festive occasions, Madison Hemry's 'necktie' is made from natural fibres, shells and plastic beads.

A rare addition to the collection is a twisted Hawaiian feather lei. In the past, these were visible and prized body adornments for the ali‘i (the chiefly class). The difficulty in obtaining coloured feathers — particularly the most sought after yellow and red — as well as the laborious process of stringing these small and delicate feathers together, justified their preciousness.³ Called lei hulu manu in Hawaiian, people began to experiment with other bird feathers when the native birds almost reached extinction. For this lei, Kahikina de Silva used pre-dyed goose feathers and has drawn inspiration from the lei in the Bishop Museum as well as old texts that describe the techniques used in the past. De Silva took a month to make this most complex of feather lei designs. Ten strands of wool are used as the core, upon which the feathers are dexterously bound with sewing thread. Holding a double degree, de Silva teaches the Hawaiian language at the University of Hawai'i, Mānoa, and is part of a younger generation eager to reclaim and disseminate her culture.

This group of works continues to develop important strands in the Pacific collection, adding different and fine examples of specific cultural objects such as lei, basketry and fans to demonstrate the differences and similarities in practices across the Pacific.

Essay by Maud Page, Curator, Contemporary Pacific Art, January 2005. Feature image: Kahikina de Silva / Hawaii b.1977 / Lei 2004 / Twined cotton thread with commercial dyes, goose feathers, wool and ribbon / Purchased 2004. The Queensland Government's Gallery of Modern Art Acquisitions Fund / © Kahikina de Silva / Photograph: C Callistemon, QAGOMA

Endnotes

1. The ninth Pacific Arts Festival website, viewed 6 January 2004.
2. Dirk HR Spennemann, 'Marshallese Handicrafts', Marshalls: Digital Micronesia, viewed 24 September 2004,
3. For more information on the lei hulu manu see Marie A McDonald, 'Ka Lei. The Leis of Hawaii', Topgallant Publishing, Honolulu, 1978, pp.10–11.