Cheyenne Maiava Tuioti

‘Myths and Maidens’ is a love letter to fafine Moana, looking at some of our trauma, challenges and inequities across Pasifika, and how in the face of this, the celebration of ourselves is an act of colonial resistance.

These age old symbols of the Moko Kauae, the Fijian Veiqia, the Papuan Tep Tok and the Samoan Malu were made to celebrate the significance of the female role, but many were also created by female tatau artists. 'Marks of Mana' explores the female history of tatau in our cultures, and the meaning behind these patterns linked like a necklace around the Moana.