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Tau Rima: Craftsmanship Processes

Innovation | Resources | Transmission | Craftsmanship

The materials of Tau Rima Tahiti reflect the values, skills, and resourcefulness of local craftspeople. Some of these elements are visible in the objects, but the "performance of craftsmanship" is largely behind the scenes, where many processes are at work. As active producers of Tahitian craft, ra'atira and instrument makers face the issues raised by each of the following themes throughout their creative lives:

Innovation | top
'Ori Tahiti is a tradition passed through generations, preserving and sharing history, poetry, and cultural knowledge. Simultaneously, Tahitians value creativity and innovation to the extreme. New costume elements, instruments, and dance steps appear regularly. While slowly pushing the boundaries of tradition, such experimentation by Hawaiian craftspeople is innately Tahitian.

In Tahiti everything is changing, they change real quick. They change with the times.
— Mafatu Krainer

You can extend yourself—your creativity, when you have a lot of material. If you don't, it's impossible. But you have to have all the material you need to be able to do the nice work.
— Tahia Foster-Parker, Marania Haoragi

A lot of the drumming competition is to incorporate something different, just for creativity. We've played bottles filled with water, you know, something like that. People try different things just to be creative and it might catch on.
— Mafatu Krainer

Our new generation, they're going into modern, modern-made stuff… Not that I don't accept the progress, you have to accept progress. But you don't want to leave the roots-a lot of people maybe will cut off the branch, and re-plant, with their own modern ideas, up-to-date ideas.
— Etua Tahauri

I like creativity, but my number one is tradition, to keep it as traditional as possible.
— Denise Ramento, Here Tama Nui

Resources | top
The production of Tahitian performance objects relies upon material and human resources. Craftspeople cultivate relationships in Hawai'i as well as Tahiti, show resourcefulness and frugality in acquiring appropriate and cost-effective materials, and seek out knowledge from elders and cultural specialists to guide their work.

When there's a lot of costs involved in your costuming, you go where you can get the same thing but at a lower price, because it can get astronomical at some point. Especially when you're dealing with shells. So when the shells from the Philippines are less than the shells from Tahiti I'll get it from the Philippines. It's the same shell.
— Pola Teriipaia, Manutahi Tahiti

It's good to have contacts all over 'cause there's really nothing over here on this island. I've never found a bunch of miro on this island. Never. Because there's so much people that grab miro on this island. Not just for to'eres.
— Tyrone Temenaha

…The only thing I got from the mainland is the feathers. And the hau. From here, from Aloha Hula Supply. The rest is from Tahiti. I went to an uncle who does tapa… when I decide to make a costume I go home and I get material from there.
— Tahia Foster-Parker, Marania Haoragi

The changes started from the very beginning because of rarity. It's harder to get the material here. Those days [more] was harder to get. So they were using cellophane and plastic skirts. But it's a pain in the eye when you look at it. We didn't like the ideas of using modern plastic stuff. We [Heiva organizers Tahiti Nui International] over the years have influenced them to maintain Tahitian costume and Polynesian costume instead of plastic.
— Etua Tahauri

Black ones are very important… but the milo's still milo, it's still good, you know, it doesn't matter if it's black. I think it helps, but the music is still gonna be the music.
— Tyrone Temanaha, Jr.

For us, being in the tree industry—we might not come across all the good woods, but we know everybody else in the tree industry. And so then, when they come across it, they call us in to save money not having to dump it, and we'll pay for the wood. In Hawai'i that's kind of how it goes.
— Mafatu Krainer

Beacause of the bird flu, there's just a big shortage of feathers… For instance, the white long feathers, five years ago I would pay $150 for a pound. Right now you're paying $400 for a pound. So that has a lot to do with costuming now. If we do use the feathers it's very sparse, it's not as abundant on our costumes, but we still do use it—if it goes with our theme.
— Pola Teriipaia, Manutahi Tahiti

My family owns Tahitian black pearl farms. So when they are done with the use of the mother of pearl, they will bring bags of these, and I will take it to Joséf, he's one person that's known in Tahiti for carving… And then he will clean it for me, polish it, and then the design that I would like to have, he will do it for me.
— Tahia Foster-Parker, Marania Haoragi

All the shells I get from Tahiti. When my dad comes every couple months then he'll bring me a box of shells.
— Mafatu Krainer

But you cannot beat Tahiti, they got the really beautiful, real things.
— Denise Ramento, Here Tama Nui

Transmission | top
Ra'atira defer to their own teachers and impress upon their students the diverse knowledge and skills central to Tahitian culture. For some, group participation in costume making is educational as well as economical, while other ra'atira find the consistency of a single costumier a reliable necessity. Instrument makers may receive initial guidance, or make their first attempts based on observation and intuition; theirs is an art that develops out of long experience and personal investment.

If you're a Tahitian dancer you gotta know how to make costumes. In our days anyway. Nowadays they just go to Hula Supply or Aloha Hula Supply and buy the generic costumes—which is okay. But I still feel strongly that a dancer, a well-rounded dancer should know how to make costumes, should know how to define her costume with her dance.
— Pola Teriipaia, Manutahi Tahiti

I am so fortunate that I had learned to do it. And I'd taught my children, Christopher, Terese, Allen, how to do it. And now we're trying to teach the students.
— Denise Ramento, Here Tama Nui

I had to research on my own because I'm learning, and I do not know all the stories from my family, from my island. So I will go and research with Grandma. Like with my grandma who passed, Mere. And then I will go to a different grandma who will tell me about—they still have the same basic story. But some will have their own view of things, so they will add up.
— Tahia Foster-Parker, Marania Haoragi

And it's good for culture too. We teach our kids the culture, and that's how we teach it, they just watch. See us putting drums together, think it's natural. They think everybody does that.
— Mafatu Krainer

When I decide to make a costume I go home [to Tahiti] and I get material from there. I usually make my daughter help me on the beach look for things, 'cause I want her to be involved. And then we will bring it home and explain to the kids where we got it.
— Tahia Foster-Parker, Marania Haoragi

We want everyone to make their own costume because then they would appreciate and know that —they don't just dress up and pretty up. They have to learn. This is what a school is about. This is the difference between a school and a production show.
— Denise Ramento, Here Tama Nui

You don't just pass on a song, you pass on everything that goes with the song. And that is the way they pass it on, and pass it on, and pass it on.
— Pola Teriipaia, Manutahi Tahiti

I'm very open, open to help those who are willing to perpetuate the culture. Although they are not Tahitian but their heart is.
— Etua Tahauri

Craftsmanship | top
Tahitian performance crafts show a wealth of detailed expertise. Instrument production includes both skin drums and tō'ere, slit-drums; production begins with the selection of wood and materials, but progresses through ornately detailed carving, functionally unnecessary but highly valued and ultimately meaningful. Costume production shows how a wealth of material and technical knowledge can be directed toward a singular thematic presentation, both functional and dramatically effective.

A lot of our people from Tahiti are surprised at how well the costumes are done here. Because I think, they are very creative.
— Etua Tahauri

They would have to get those skirts and they would do it ahead of time. Picking the bark of the wild hibiscus tree, pulling the outer bark and wrapping it. And then soaking it in the lagoon for several months, until the fibers of the bark start loosening up. And it stinks like heck. And they got bundles and bundles of bark, and then they retrieve it. And then they start peeling it off the bark. And then you find out that the bark is just full of fibers. And then they let it dry in the sun. And then they eventually will wash it, clean it, and again let it dry. And then they start their making of their skirts.
— Catherine Teriipaia

Every time I make one it'll never be the same. No matter how, because the woods are different. The thickness, maybe you might try to come close to it. But there's always difference.
— Etua Tahauri

It's not easy making tō'eres. Period.
— Tyrone Temanaha, Jr.

We make the costumes all by hand. And now, technology, we got sewing machine and glue gun. Don't forget glue gun.
— Cathy Teriipaia

With the tō'eres, a lot of the commission is just by the sound. Carving is all extra, doesn't really have too much to do with the drum... Sometimes we get people that ask to do that, where they ask us to make a stand with different small to'eres, those to'ere pitis… but, that kind of stuff is just more what is your feeling toward the drumming, you know. That's tough… we try to keep a little bit more basic.
— Mafatu Krainer