Pitcairn Tapa: Discovering the Past through Tapa

Abstract

What does the Bounty represent to you? What images or stories does this word conjure in your mind? Do you think of the famous mutiny? The mutineers? The Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson film shot in Mo'orea? Do you think of the 1960s film with Marlon Brando and Tarita? The 281h of April 2014 marked the 225'h Anniversary of the Mutiny of the Bounty. The story has been told in novels, poems, theatre, scholarly works, five movies and many documentaries. Some have been fabricated, some factual. But there is always something missing. I want to share with you an alternative story, one veiled by history. This is a women's story. This is the story of twelve women. Mauatua, Teraura, Vahineatua, Toofaiti, Tevarua, Teio, Opuarai, Faahotu, Teatuahitia, Teehuteatuaonoa, Tinafanaea and Marevea. A story that can be partly pieced together with the tapa they made on Pitcairn Island. We learn about their origins, their personalities and their trials through these tapa. The oldest of these women was Mauatua. She was a young girl when Captain Cook first arrived at Tahiti and the black sands of Matavai Bay (Young 1894:93). She was the daughter of a local chief, raised during the collision of Polynesian and European cultures. She was raised during an era of great women leaders. She was raised with the knowledge to make fine tapa. She would need these skills and more, as we will see, later on in life.