Tuvalu treasures from Otago Museum were on display at Oamaru as part of the recent Tuvalu Language Week.
Otago Museum’s Anne Harlow, Collections Manager, Humanities and Shannah Rhynard-Geil, Conservator, traveled to Oamaru with some collection items from the island nation to share with locals.
This year, Otago Museum is striving to forge stronger connections with Pacific communities throughout the South Island regions.
This began in March with Pasifika Community Day, a Museum event where a group of Pacific representatives explored ways in which they could develop engagement and future collaborations with Otago Museum.
Now the Museum is supporting various Pacific communities with their celebrations of culture and language.
The first of these events was Mauri!, a showcase of traditional Kiribati song, dance, and language at the Museum in July, and Tuvalu Language Week is the second event to be supported by the Otago Museum team.
Otago Museum is guardian of one of the finest Pacific collections in New Zealand, with more than 20 000 items, representing all of the Pacific Island nations, housed in our galleries and stores.
The Pacific Cultures gallery is a treasure house of taoka telling the story of the culture and history of Pacific peoples.
On display at Oamaru library were a variety of items, including fish hooks, canoe paddles, adzes, and bowls.