THE WINSTON CHURCHILL MEMORIAL TRUST OF AUSTRALIA

Report by Pauline Reynolds

2010 Churchill Fellow

To study material culture created by the Polynesian women who settled on Pitcairn Island in 1789 - New Zealand, USA, UK, and Norway I understand that the Churchill Trust may publish this Report, either in hard copy or on the Internet, or both, and consent to such publication. I indemnify the Churchill Trust against any loss, costs or damages it may suffer arising out of any claim or proceedings made against the Trust and which the Trust places on a website for access over the internet. I also warrant that my Final Report is original and does not infringe the copyright of any person, or contain anything which is, or the incorporation of which into the Final Report is, actionable for defamation, a breach of any privacy law or obligation, breach of confidence, contempt of court, passing-off or contravention of any other private right or of any law. Signed: PAULINE REYNOLDS Dated: 23/11/10

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INDEX Introduction page 3 Executive Summary page 5 Program page 6 Main Body page 7 Wellington New Zealand page 8 Hawai’i page 9 London page 10 Cambridge page 11 British Museum (East and West London Stores)page 11 Kew page 13 Oxford page 14 Liverpool page 14 The Lake District page 15 Edinburgh page 15 Aberdeen page 16 Oslo, Norway page 17 Conclusion page 18 Recommendations page 18

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INTRODUCTION This report details my 2010 Churchill Fellowship travel to museums, collections, and other places of interest discovered along the way in New Zealand, Hawai’i, England, Scotland and Norway. Most of the museums and collections visited hold significant pieces of material culture created by the Polynesian women who arrived on Pitcairn Island in 1789 aboard HMS Bounty whose descendants would later settle on Norfolk Island (today an external territory of Australia). My study included analysing the techniques and materials used to make the barkcloths, and documenting any accompanying data. I shared whatever information I had about the pieces to curators highlighting the importance of these pieces in their collections. I was also able to study many barkcloth beaters. Three of these are definitely from Pitcairn, and a fourth is possibly of Pitcairn origin. I was pleased to study many also from Tahiti, Hawai’i and Fiji. A Churchill Fellowship is a life changing and validating experience. I know the experiences I have had will serve my community, my children, and myself well for years to come. This was a life changing event professionally and personally for me. My first note of gratitude is therefore to The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and the fantastic supportive staff there. I give thanks to my two referees, Rhonda Griffiths (former Cultural Affairs Advisor for the Pacific Community, currently Development Manager for Norfolk Island Tourism) and Lisa Richards (Curator of Norfolk Island Museums). Their enthusiastic support for my application was, I am sure, much of the reason for the application’s success. I also wish to thank all those wonderful people with whom I had contact during my scholarship and who helped make this intense six-week period a smooth and inspiring journey. The staff at The Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington New Zealand Sean Mallon and Grace Hutton, Te Papa Museum Wellington, New Zealand Betty-Lou Kam and Kamalu DuPreez at the Bishop Museum, Hawai’i Wes Sen, master tapa maker, Hawai’i

Helen Wolfe, the British Museum Rachel Hand, Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University

of Cambridge Dr Mark Nesbitt, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Jeremy Coote and Zena McGreevy, Pitt Rivers Museum, University of

Oxford Lynne Heidi Stumpe, World Museum, Liverpool

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Chris Gaskell and Bernadette Kilroy for taking me on a magical tour of Fletcher Christian’s birthplace and childhood home, church and village, and The Lake District

Julie Adams and Ross Irving, National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland

Neil Curtis and Shona Elliott of the Marischal Museum, Aberdeen, Scotland

Reidar Solsvik, Kon Tiki Museum, Norway

It is with gratitude I acknowledge here Jean Clarkson’s discovery in Kooijman’s Tapa in Polynesia of the existence of Pitcairn tapa, which began my extensive research, and Sue Pearson and Meralda Warren’s unending support over the years. The four of us formed a group years ago called the ‘Ahu Sistas – a group dedicated to protecting the material cultural heritage left by the women of the Bounty all those years ago, and the implication it has on the descendants of those women today. Lastly, I wish to thank the Norfolk Island people who have been so supportive of my journey, sending encouraging messages during my time away, which at times was lonely. I had the impression that we were all having this experience together, through my eyes. I also thank Tihoti my husband and our children Oihanu and Mauatua who endured this separation with such patience and love; last and not least, my loving parents who were there always unfailing in their encouragement and help wherever and whenever I have needed it. At the British Museum

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Pauline Elizabeth Seton Reynolds PO Box 623, Norfolk Island NSW 2899 Researcher, writer, fabric artist Norfolk Island Museums +6723 51510 The 2010 Churchill Scholarship to study material culture created by the Polynesian women who settled on Pitcairn Island in 1789 (and who are the foremothers of many of the Bounty descendants today living on Norfolk Island) - New Zealand, USA, UK, Norway Highlights: * Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand * Te Papa Museum Wellington, New Zealand * Bishop Museum, Hawai’i * Cambridge Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology * British Museum (2 archive locations in East and West London) * Pitt Rivers Museum Oxford * Liverpool Museum * Visit birthplace, home, village and church of Fletcher Christian and his family * Royal Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh * Marischal Museum, Aberdeen, Scotland * Kon Tiki Museum, Oslo, Norway Dissemination of information: * Complete a non-fiction book with the working title: The Forgotten Women of HMS Bounty * Speaking at symposiums (the first is at Wellington, New Zealand in June 2011) * Articles and recordings for various museums visited and on going sharing of information with all the museums visited * Working with Norfolk Island Museums toward an eventual loan of materials from some of those museums for an exhibition in cooperation with Norfolk Island Museums * Discuss information on Norfolk Island – in cooperation with the Norfolk Island Museums, artists and interested parties through formal and informal slide nights. During my absence I wrote articles for the Norfolk Island papers and Norfolk Island Museum Blog and the Pitcairn Island on-line newsletter. * Presentations for school children at Norfolk Island Central School * Continue writing articles for the Norfolk Island on-line Newspaper, the Norfolk Island Museum Blog, and my own blog http://tattoo-and-tapa.blogspot.com

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PROGRAMME 4th – 6th September 2010 Wellington, New Zealand: * Turnbull Library * Te Papa Museum 7th -10th September 2010 Honolulu, Hawai’i * Bishop Museum * Meeting with master Hawai’ian barkcloth maker Wes Sen 14th – 18th September 2010 London & Greenwich, England * National Maritime Museum * British Museum 21st – 22nd September 2010 Cambridge, England * Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences * Cambridge Archaeology & Anthropology Museum 23rd – 24th September London, England * East and West London Stores, British Museum * Kew Gardens Economic Botany Collection Kew 26th – 29th September Oxford, England * Pitt Rivers Museum * Various museums, literary tours, Bodleian Library * Oxford University Museum of Natural History 1st October 2010 Liverpool, England * Liverpool World Museum 2nd October 2010 The Lake District, England * Moorland Close, Fletcher Christian’s birthplace and childhood home * St Bridget’s Brigham Church (F. Christian’s family church) * Cockermouth, Cumbria, family village 4th-6th October 2010 Edinburgh, Scotland * Royal Museum Scotland * Storytelling Museum * Edinburgh Writers’ Museum 8th October 2010 Aberdeen, Scotland * Marischal Museum * Aberdeen Art Gallery * Aberdeen Maritime Museum * Aberdeen & North-East Scotland Genealogy Centre 10th -12th October 2010 Oslo, Norway * Kon-Tiki Museum

* Norwegian Museum of Cultural History

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MAIN BODY HMS Bounty arrived at Pitcairn in January 1790 – with twelve Polynesian women, a baby girl, six mutineers and six Polynesian men. An indigenous1 people to Pitcairn Island emerged when the children of these Polynesian women and their mutineer partners were born. A new culture was also born at this time. These people (and thus their culture) were moved en masse to Norfolk Island in 1856 (none of the original Pitcairn settlers were alive then). Whilst some families returned to Pitcairn Island later on, the majority stayed on Norfolk Island. Later, families would emigrate from both islands to Australia, New Zealand, England, USA, Tahiti and other countries. It is not my intention to deride the literature circles who have captured the imagination of generations by their telling of the Bounty story through books, movies, telemovies, documentaries and various papers. However, I do believe that because of the genre that developed around the events, the telling of our own story has taken a back seat. The line between reality and fiction has become blurred. The Bounty history is told and retold, acknowledged by thousands of documents (just look it up on Google!) but not from a non-fictional indigenous feminine perspective. My objective is to find a way to tell a more rounded version of their lives. The women formed 90% of the adult population in the early 1800s, and therefore had the greatest cultural impact on the island and the growing first generation. Sadly, the captains who sailed to the island from 1808 onward rarely interviewed them. It is an ignoble truth that this fact is hardly acknowledged in historical and contemporary literature, so that when there is a reference to them, it is mostly in the mythic-movie-romance genre – in short, historical fiction. Historical fiction usually tells a story drawn from history containing fictional characters and/or events. Fiction is entertaining – often leaving out real facts and creating situations to keep the story moving along. The true story of the women’s lives, their origins, and how they wove a new culture in those first years is fascinating. How a society develops around such diverse influences is intriguing. I believe the non-fictional telling of these women’s stories is important to the Australian External Territory of Norfolk Island where many of the descendants of these women live today. I lived in French Polynesia for 14 years - in Tahiti and the island of Huahine. From there I conducted research to trace genealogy and the origin of many Pitkern-Norf’k words. Realising the importance of looking at the story from a native perspective - from within their culture, their language and their upbringing (that must have influenced every decision they made), became very apparent to me.

1 According to the Oxford Dictionary, the meaning of ‘indigenous’ is ‘originating or occurring naturally in a particular place; native’

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I will give a short history of the island here. In 1788 the British ship Bounty arrived Matavai Bay, Tahiti. The captain (William Bligh) was under royal commission to collect breadfruit for Britain’s slave colonies and left five months later. During that time, each of the crewmembers had a taio (friend) and most had experienced intimate relationships. On the 28th of April, only three weeks into the homeward voyage, mutiny struck and Bounty was overtaken. After attempting settlement on Tubuai twice, and returning a second time to Tahiti, Fletcher Christian and 8 mutineers cut anchor and sailed out in the early hours of 22 September 1789 with 19 Polynesians board (12 women, one baby girl, and 6 men). They came from Tahiti, Tubuai, Ra’iatea and Huahine. Some had gone willingly, and some had been kidnapped. Bounty then began the search westward and eastward through the vast Pacific Ocean for an uninhabited island safe from the reach of the British Navy. After four months of searching, Pitcairn Island was sighted, and after inspection, the mutineers decided it was a perfect haven for them. In 1808, Captain Folger of the US sealing ship Topaz arrived at Pitcairn Island. This was the beginning of a new era for the community. By then there were 10 women (of the original 12), John Adams (the only man left living), and the first generation of children. Captain Folger’s discovery of the mutineers’ hideaway eventually reached the rest of the world, and from then on, Pitcairn Island would begin welcoming many passing ships. The captains and sailors were so enamoured by John Adams and his story, that they rarely made note of the Polynesian women. This is where historians and storytellers have written historical fiction to fill in the gaps. Yet there is information, but it requires thinking from an indigenous perspective, digging through journals and original documents, paying attention to detail. Discovering the material culture they left behind has been a fundamental breakthrough. The women kept much of their culture alive through their day-to-day actions. One of these was to gift cloth to visitors who had touched them somehow. Throughout Tahiti and her islands (as is well documented by Wallis, Cook, Banks and Bligh) the culture of the time dictated that a visiting chief be presented with certain gifts. Firstly a gift of nourishment must be offered: fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. Secondly, a ceremonial gift was made of fine barkcloth. This custom was adapted and applied to visiting European ships, beginning with the famous gifting by ‘Queen’ Purea of cloth to Wallis and crew, during the very first contact between Tahitians and Europeans. At that time throughout Polynesia only women made barkcloth (except in particular ceremonial situations) and this was continued on Pitcairn. In all but one situation that I have been able to identify, it was women who gifted the cloth on Pitcairn Island.

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Thankfully, in many situations, the receiver of the tapa cloth (or a later descendant) would donate it to a museum, where they were preserved and referenced. This is how, for the most part, I have been able to locate the Pitcairn barkcloths. WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND 4-6/9/10 New Zealand Archives (Te Whare Tahu Tuhituhinga O Aotearoa) 5/9/10 My Churchill Fellowship travel began with a visit to see a Pitcairn barkcloth kept at the Turnbull Library. The staff were then working out of the New Zealand Archives (Te Whare Tahu Tuhituhinga O Aotearoa). I had already made arrangements to view three pieces of barkcloth. Pitcairn Item: Plain barkcloth made from ‘uru (breadfruit). It is a finely made piece, heavy like raw silk, 55cm x 21 cm by Polly Young, a first generation Pitcairn Islander. Cut from a larger piece.

Pitcairn tapa at the New Zealand Archives (Te Whare Tahu Tuhituhinga O Aotearoa)

In the same folder there was a Tahitian tapa originally made for Queen Pomare, once white, now slightly discoloured. 55x58cm finely made from aute (paper mulberry). A third piece was from the Marquesas Islands made from breadfruit. Cut from a larger piece? Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa 5/9/10 Even though there is no known Pitcairn barkcloths among the hundreds of tapa cloths at Te Papa Museum, I wished to visit to see the public galleries and the archival area. The public galleries are lively, informative, with much focus on the Maori and Polynesian cultures. Their educational facilities are inspirational. I took time to take in two wonderful tapa exhibitions – one called Paperskin – The Art of Tapa Cloth and Tapa: Pacific style. This exhibition,

celebrates the breathtaking and visual sophistication and richness of tapa – from dramatic and ornate four-metre-high ceremonial masks used in Papua New Guinea, to an impressive 22.7-metre ngatu (tapa) from Tonga. … Since its introduction into the Pacific from islands of South-East Asia over 3000 years ago, tapa – beaten from bark and patterned with striking designs – has provided a unique approach to artistic and cultural expression in the Pacific region. Tapa has also been likened to tattoos – another kind of skin that envelops the wearer in cultural significance and beauty. (Te Papa Exhibition)

I was stunned by a huge piece called ‘Revival – A Community Event’ made by the people of Mangaia (in the Cook Islands) from banyan. This is something I am considering pursuing (on a smaller scale) with the children of Norfolk Island Central School.

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Pitcairn Island pre-Bounty artefacts at Te Papa archives I mentioned the Pitcairn Island whalebone beaters (more about these later), and I was shown a whalebone beater stored with Fijian artefacts. I will carry out further research on this beater, however there is a possibility that it is actually of Pitcairn Island origin. (See photo: Pauline at Te Papa with e’e). Possible Pitcairn item: Whalebone beater 36cm in length, width 5cm x 4.5cm x 3.8m x 3.5cm. Interestingly, this beater was only finished on two sides, the other two sides exposing the nature of the bone in its raw form. City Gallery Wellington 5/9/10 Visit to an exhibition of works by the well-known Niuean artist John Pule who paints on huge canvases using ancient hiapo (Niuean barkcloth) as his inspiration. His work is a timely reminder for me to keep in mind the dynamism of this artform. HAWAI’I 7-10/9/10 Bishop Museum 9/9/10 The Bishop Museum is another beautiful museum honouring the Polynesians of yesteryear in multimedia presentations. I very much enjoyed the spacious and contemplative nature of the Hawaiian Hall with its glass cabinets of artefacts and grand video screen playing underwater ocean images and sounds. Other sections of the museum include the Polynesian Hall, the Castle Memorial Building where we learn about the past of the Hawaiian monarchy. There is also a Planetarium.

At the archives of the museum I had arranged previously to view Tahitian barkcloths and whilst I was there was able to handle some very finely made Hawaiian pieces as well. It was interesting to speak to the two curators and view various ancient tools discovered on Pitcairn belonging to the pre-Bounty settlements.

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In the archives, my thanks go to Betty Lou Kam for her kind patience and sharing her time with me. Pitcairn Items:

1. One piece has been included in the Museum’s copy of William T Brigham’s Kapa Sample Book. The Pitcairn piece marked on this particular sample book as being number #282. This piece was originally collected by Dr Babbit in 1822 and is finely made from aute. The fine beater marks and quality of the beater marks shows this was made by a master tapa maker: 15x22.5cm, cut from a larger piece.

2. Strip or fragment of tapa with columns of yellow lines 7.35cm x 30cm (originally donated from Scottish Royal Museum).

3. Strip or fragment of tapa with columns of yellow lines 27cm x 4.1cm (originally donated from Scottish Royal Museum).

Meeting with Wes Sen master tapa maker 11/9/10 Discussions on the methods of tapa-making, the materials and tools used. Wes will confirm the plant origin of the coloured tapa at the Bishop Museum. We envisage a Tahiti-Hawai’i-Pitcairn-Norfolk workshop within the next two years. ENGLAND LONDON 14 – 18/9/10 British Museum 15 & 16/9/10 In the Enlightenment Gallery, which was built in 1828 to house King George III’s library, there is an exhibition about the Age of Enlightenment in England. This was a time when people in England tried understanding the world around them through reason and observation. The exhibition is themed under seven categories: The Natural World, The Birth of Archaeology, Art and Civilisation, Classifying the World, Ancient Scripts, Religion and Ritual, and finally Trade and Discovery. This final category is where a tiny piece of barkcloth made by Mauatua is on display. Pitcairn item: This piece is very finely made from aute, yellowed by the passing of time, a small piece of 29x10cm and has been cut from a larger piece. The Enlightenment Gallery where Mauatua’s tapa cloth is on display in the glass cabinets in the right forefront

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Given the minimal amount of Pacific or Polynesian material on show at the Museum, I felt it a great honour to see a piece of barkcloth made on Pitcairn on display in this exhibition. I found myself wondering, if at that moment, any of the other hundred or so people in that great hall were descended from a maker of a piece in that room. There is a chance, I hope, to highlight the importance of barkcloth and Pacific items in general. In the bookshop, there were only 8 books forming a ‘Pacific’ section. Of these 8 books, over 4 of them were about Australia. National Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory, The Royal Naval College 17/9/10 Walking through this fascinating part of Greenwich, I found myself wondering had Bligh or any of his Bounty crew come to this grand place? The Old Royal Naval College was designed to take care of old and unwell seamen, built on the former site of a Tudor Palace and birthplace of Elizabeth I. Today it is under the management of the Greenwich Foundation; the University, the beautiful chapel, the music tumbling out into the courtyard of the Trinity College of Music was enchanting. Pitcairn Items: The National Maritime Museum offers a wonderful view of Britain’s seafaring history. In the Archives and Library there are a couple of Bounty effects: one of interest is the William Buchan Domestic Medicine … (London, 1779, 6th edition which was taken by the mutineers to Pitcairn Island, the title page has the signature of Thos. Huggan the ship’s surgeon. There is also a copy of the Pitcairn Island Register. Another treasure is The Bounty Watch, the K2 which was made by Larcum Kendall, 1771. CAMBRIDGE 20-22/9/10 Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology 22/9/10 I visited the public galleries of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology the day before my appointment with the assistant curator. There are around 800,000 objects within the collections of the Museum, and the Anthropology section holds over 30,000 Pacific artefacts, many coming from the Cook explorations. I was really pleased to see such a fine display of Pacific historical items there in Cambridge. They also have an exhibition “Tatau: Samoan Tattooing Global Culture” and currently have a Samoan Artist in Residence. The next day I went to view the 2 Pitcairn tapa kept in the Museum’s archives actually within the same building as the museum. Many thanks to the assistant curator for her enthusiastic reception. Pitcairn Items:

1. Made from aute, thick and fairly stiff piece with message written in brown ink: “Tappa coth made from the bark of a tree by the Pitcairn Islanders”.

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2. Made from aute 166x56cm extremely fine and accompanying notes say ‘Made by Tahitian women of the Bounty colony’. George Hunn Nobbs gave this to Reverend John Still in 1877 on Norfolk Island.

British Museum East & West London stores 23/9/10 The British Museum has the world’s largest collection of Pitcairn barkcloths stored off-site away from public galleries. The Pitcairn tapa have recently been through a thorough process of conservation and the smaller pieces are now beautifully mounted and presented in carefully made state-of-the-art folders. The curators are extremely busy handling vast collections, and I am very grateful for the time spent with me, letting me touch, view and photograph as long as I wished – a privilege I was most humbled by, and not sure I would have had without having received this Fellowship. Pitcairn Items:

1. Plain white 38x43cm. Registration says, ‘… made by the descendants of the [mutineers] of the Bounty’

2. Plain white 30x28cm fine (like muslin), which I believe would be a specialised technique using aute

3. Plain white 25in aute, extremely soft and slightly transparent 4. Plain white 38x17.5cm aute finely made. Label reads, ‘Made by

the widow of Fletcher Christian, from Pitcairn Island, 1837 5. Plain white 44x49cm aute. Label reads, ‘Tappa cloth made on

Pitcairn Is. Fro the bark of Paper Mulberry. From Mrs F.C. Nobbs, Longridge, Norfolk Island, wife of Pitcairn Island clergyman. She was 90 when she gave it to me (Mrs Montgomery) in 1892.’

6. Plain white 88x50cm. Label reads, ‘Bark of the Breadfruit tree from Pitcairn Island made by Miss H. Beatrice Young’

7. Plain white 101x69cm, finely beaten aute 8. Plain white 28x31cm aute finely made 9. Plain white 37x11cm aute finely made 10. Decorated (stamped) piece of two layers – underlayer of plain

finely beaten aute, overlayer decorated, stamped and dyed. Possibly ‘uru or banyan

11. Dyed aute 190x60cm reddish brown 12. Decorated, dyed and collaged layered piece (overlayer likely

‘uru, underlayer aute) 57x95cm 13. Decorated, dyed and collaged layered piece as above 127x62cm 14. Plain white barkcloth, which has been cut with a smaller piece

stored separately 15. Decorated, dyed, collaged and ‘patchworked’ (overlayer likely

‘uru, underlayer aute) 137x61cm 16. Plain sample piece cut from a larger piece: label states, ‘This

piece of Tapa or Native Cloth was made at Pitcairn Island in 1837 by Mrs Christian and Mrs Young the only survivors of the original settlers of the Bounty in 1837 on Pitcairn Island’, collected by Mr Thompson HMS Imogene

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17. Plain sample piece cut from larger cloth 25x18cm signed by Mary Christian in brown ink

18. Plain sample piece cut from larger cloth 9.75in signed by Arthur Quintal in brown ink

After viewing the tapa cloths, I caught a taxi to another British Museum archive (The East London Store). Pitcairn Item: Pitcairn Island is perhaps the only known island to use both wooden and whalebone beaters (although there is a possibility of one known beater having come from Fiji – I will take further study to review this). Pitcairn tapa beater at the British Museum

KEW 24/9/10 Royal Botanic Gardens At the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, there is the Economic Botany Collection, which has over 75,000 items. It is remarkable indeed that three pieces of Pitcairn tapa are held here – given that the expedition of the HMS Bounty had its origins at Kew Gardens with Sir Joseph Banks’ push to have her collect breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) in Tahiti and then sail to the West Indies. The breadfruit was meant to feed the slave population. See the Kew Blog for a report on my visit: http://www.kew.org/news/kew-blogs/Tapa-cloth-and-the-forgotten-women-of-the-Bounty-mutiny.htm At Kew there are three pieces of tapa linked to the HMS Bounty, each identified as paper mulberry Broussonetia papyrifera (Tahitian and Pitkern aute).

1. 28cm x 21cm gifted by Mauatua (ie Fletcher Christian’s wife) to Mrs Heywood (Peter Heywood’s wife) via the Captain Jenkin Jones of the Curacao in 1841 a reference to which (found at Kew’s rare books room) the Rev. Thos. Murray’s Pitcairn: The Island, the People, an the Pastor (1860).

“The women also manufacture tappa or native cloth, from the bark of the "Anti" or paper-mulberry, which is rolled up, and soaked in water, and then beaten out with wooden mallets, and spread forth to dry. The author has in his possession a piece of beautifully wrought white tappa, given him by Mrs. Heywood… it was made by the wife of Fletcher Christian [Mauatua], from the bark of the paper-mulberry-tree. The piece from which this portion was taken, was entrusted by her, when at a very advanced age, to Captain Jenkin Jones, when he visited the island, in her Majesty's ship Curacoa, in 1841; he having been desired to give it to Peter’s wife.”

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This quote also reveals that the piece at Kew was actually part of a much larger piece, which presumably Mrs Heywood cut into pieces and distributed.

2. 19x11.5cm made by Mauatua (Mrs Christian) and Teraura (Mrs Young) 3. 24.5x25cm made by ‘Peggy’ (‘Peggy’ was the Tahitian wife of

mutineer George Stewart who later died aboard the Pandora. They had a daughter in Tahiti named ‘Charlotte’ but sometimes referred to as ‘Little Peggy’)

OXFORD 26-29/09/10 Pitt Rivers Museum 28/09/10 The Pitt Rivers Museum hosts a collection of more than half a million artefacts. The objects on display are arranged according to how they were used or made, unlike other museums I have visited. This is the second museum that I had seen with a Pitcairn Tapa on display. Pitcairn Items:

1. A tiputa or poncho of 1.42mx52cm similar to those at the British Museum

2. White piece 170x163cm by Dorcas ‘Dolly’ Young 3. White piece 3.8x2m 4. Aute dyed brown/reddish 65x70cm cut from a larger piece

extremely fine make probably used as pareu (sarong) the dye making it more hardy for wearing

5. Aute white 46x37cm fine with paper texture rather than fine fabric texture fine beater marks. Label reads, “Made by Miss H. Beatrice Young c/- HBM Consul Tahiti, granddaughter of Ed Young and John Mills”

6. Aute white 4.3mx1.85m collected by Beechey or one of his crew. Very fine quality

7. Pair of slippers of woven palm leaf, edged in barkcloth and decorated with purple dyed plant fibre and ring of shells

Frances Heywood gifted all three of these beautifully made pieces to Kew in 1858. It appears she may have been the one to have cut all three of these pieces (which originally would have been much larger) and distribute them amongst friends and museums. Mrs Heywood died three years after this gift was made to Kew.

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Pitcairn tiputa (poncho) on display at the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford

My visit to Oxford in general was fascinating, extremely inspiring. I booked myself on a couple of literary and general walking tours of this historic town. So many great minds have studied in this place. LIVERPOOL 1/10/10 Liverpool World Museum The World Museum Liverpool has 8 pieces of cloth (one which was confirmed to be cotton rather than barkcloth), which are referenced as being from Pitcairn Island. Two to three of these pieces are likely not to be from Pitcairn, perhaps having been mixed with confirmed pieces at some stage. I was not able to see all the pieces of barkcloth, as sometime before I arrived, the photographic room had been flooded and some pieces moved and put out of the way in the off-site archives. It was a situation beyond the curator’s control. Likely Pitcairn Items:

1. White aute 74cm x ? very fine beater ridges 2. White aute 22cm x 17.5cm 3. White aute 21cm x 14.5cm very finely made 4. Brown/reddish aute? 21.5 x 16cm finely made

Definitely made on Pitcairn (inscription on the fabric): 5. White aute beautifully made 48cm Possible Pitcairn Items: 6. 28cm x 22.5cm diamond pattern 7. 92cm x 89 cm diamond pattern The Liverpool museum has a very interesting and beautifully presented Oceania section in the World Cultures gallery on the third floor. THE LAKE DISTRICT, 2/10/10 Castlerigg Stone Circle, Cockermouth, Moorland Close, St Bridget’s Church The next day, I travelled through The Lake District to Castlerigg Stone Circle, Moorland Close, Fletcher Christian’s birthplace and childhood home, then St Bridget’s Brigham Church (F. Christian’s family church) and Cockermouth.

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This was a fascinating journey, and extremely balancing for me. Visiting this area, the birthplace and home of Fletcher Christian was surprisingly moving for me and I would have liked to have a little more time to explore these areas and conduct my own research there. From the breathtakingly mysterious Castlerigg Stone Circle, we drove to Cockermouth, the village associated with William Wordsworth and Fletcher Christian and from there we went onto Moorland Close Farm (on the outskirts of Cockermouth). This was Fletcher Christian’s childhood home. Its preserved buildings, walled garden, stone fences and homestead are evocative and have been for travelling Norfolk and Pitcairn Islanders for years. Norfolk Islander (Bernie Christian-Bailey) had a plaque installed on the wall of the home over forty years ago. Afterwards I was taken to nearby St Bridget’s Church Brigham, where Christian was baptised on the day of his birth because he was considered in poor health. His parents and siblings are buried by the entrance to the church. St Bridget’s dates from the 11th century and various additions and alterations have been made since then. SCOTLAND EDINBURGH, 4 – 6/10/10 National Museum Scotland, Storytelling Museum, Edinburgh Writers’ Museum The day before my meeting with the curator, I spent a day at the Museum digesting the fascinating culture of this area and their perspectives on other world cultures. The Museum is in the middle of the historic ‘Old Town’ of Edinburgh; a few minutes walk from the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle. What most impressed me about this museum was the declaration of Scottish pride in their culture. Much of the walk through this impressive Museum takes one through the Scottish story. I met the senior curator (Oceania, Americas and Africa) and the assistant curator at the museum where we caught a shuttle to the off-site archives. Pitcairn tapa items: I was able to see the two ‘tiputa’ coloured and ‘patchworked’ in a way almost identical to those at the British Museum. They were both collected on the Beechey Expedition of the HMS Blossom. The great advantage of this fellowship was to be able to see so many of these ‘tiputa’ within a short time frame so that the feel of each was still fresh in my mind. At some stage, the fragments now at Hawaii had been sent from this museum, possibly part of these two ‘tiputa’ at Edinburgh. 1.Tiputa (poncho) patchworked, dyed, stamped, collaged 138xc.58cm 2. Tiputa (poncho) as above, 85x53.5cm

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Pitcairn basalt items: I also had the pleasure to see two pre-Bounty basalt implements. One was described as ‘Probably the handle of a Tapa beater or pounder …” however, on inspection it was evident to me that it was actually part of a sculpture of some sort. Further investigation will follow on this implement. Another was a broken adze of Polynesian type. Pitcairn Item Edward Young belt: The last wonderful discovery was a belt, which I had not been aware of until this visit, marked as having belonged to Edward Young from HMS Bounty. Certainly more investigation will follow on this as well and photos will be forwarded as soon as they are available.

I was asked if I could make a voice recording of an ocean story for the new Pacific Gallery opening next year. I will be sending a recording of the ancient Tahitian legend of the peoples who inhabited Pitcairn Island long before HMS Bounty’s arrival. The Royal Mile deserves more time that I had to be explored. However, I did manage to visit the imposing Edinburgh Castle. I also visited Scottish Storytelling Centre, The National Library of Scotland and the Writers’ Museum (dedicated to Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson). ABERDEEN 7 - 8 October 2010 Marischal Museum, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen Maritime Museum, Aberdeen & North-East Scotland Genealogy Centre The first afternoon I arrived, I walked to the Aberdeen Art Gallery to get my bearings. There was a special exhibition called The Lewis Chessmen Unmasked. In most of the museums I had visited, I had seen these enigmatic chessmen, and it was truly the icing on the cake to finish off my UK tour by seeing this very special exhibition that featured many of the chessmen, audiovisual footage of people from the Isle of Lewis in interviews, various explanations. These survivors of the Norwegian medieval craft tradition are one of Scotland’s most treasured archaeological discoveries. I write about it here because of the effectiveness the exhibition due to the aural and visual techniques involved. The next day I had my visit to the Marischal Museum, University of Aberdeen, founded in 1786 with materials donated by friends and graduates of the University. The museum is presently closed (since July 2008) due to ongoing renovation and building. I was still able to visit a very lovely Pitcairn ‘tiputa’ held there. I was fortunate also at Edinburgh as visits were not generally approved for

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researchers there either (also because of renovations), and I give thanks to the curator for making my visit happen. Pitcairn Item: The ‘tiputa’ at Aberdeen was in good shape, perhaps because it has been hung on display all this time rather than folded. Certainly, this is perhaps the only ‘tiputa’ that I was able to see that appeared to have been worn quite often. The others that I have seen didn’t appear to have been worn. The construction of this particular piece was slightly different to the ones I’d seen at the British and National Scottish Museums, and this is perhaps because it had been worn and reworn. Certainly, it has been well looked after since arriving at the Marischal Museum in 1823, collected by Captain Raine in 1821 from Pitcairn. This was a gift from Dinah Adams. At the Maritime Museum is a remarkable building within which one learns the city’s relationship to the sea. John Mills, one of the mutineers, was from Aberdeen. Another totally unexpected boon to my visit was the discovery of the Aberdeen and North-East Scotland Genealogy Centre through whom intend to research the origins of mutineer Mills. OSLO, NORWAY 10-12/10/10 Kon-Tiki Museum 12/10/10 The Kon-Tiki Museum is dedicated to Thor Heyerdahl’s expeditions and includes exhibitions: Ra, Tigris, Fatu-Hiva, Kon-Tiki, Easter Island, a 30m cave tour, an underwater exhibition and a cinema documenting his expeditions. Pitcairn Items: The Kon-Tiki holds 2 Pitcairn tapa beaters and one piece of barkcloth collected during the Norwegian Archaeological Expedition in 1955-56.

1. One of the beaters is made from whalebone and is extremely worn from use, erosion from age and wear is apparent on all sides of the beater. Total length of the beater is 42.6cm.

2. The second beater is wood (probably aito), measuring 42.9cm. The beaters are almost identical in shape and both have a slight curve; I believe it to be an intentional curve.

3. These beaters were collected at the same time as a piece of tapa. It is difficult to tell what material this tapa was originally made from. It has evidently changed in its consistency overtime due to storage conditions possibly on its journey from Pitcairn to Norway.

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NOTES:

1. Throughout this document, the words barkcloth and tapa are used interchangeably.

2. Aute refers to the paper mulberry, and ‘uru refers to breadfruit. CONCLUSION The 2010 Churchill Fellowship has provided me with an incredible opportunity to complete an important research project. By working in cooperation with museum curatorial staff I have gained experience and insights into international curatorial practices and gained much from viewing the tapa and beaters that have been left as a legacy of the Polynesian women who helped found a new culture on an isolated eastern Pacific island. This visit, I hope, highlighted the importance of the Pitcairn Island barkcloths and the Pacific collections in general. As I stated earlier in this paper, my dissemination of the insights and information I have been able to attain due to this Fellowship has already begun through the various columns I wrote for the Norfolk Island papers (both in print and e-newspapers) and the Pitcairn Island e-newsletter. I have also updated my blog with these articles and will work on maintaining the sharing of information as it comes to hand. My most important project is to finish a non-fiction history of these women’s lives.

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RECOMMENDATIONS I applaud the museums and collections I visited holding the material culture I visited. Their dedicated curatorial staff have done well to document and maintain the items I visited. I would recommend active and continuous exchange and communication of information between those museums visited and our own museums on Norfolk Island. The maintaining of a sustainable partnership to enable the loaning of material culture from those museums to the Norfolk Island Museums so as to reach the descendants of the makers of the said material culture, specifically, the tapa cloths and beaters I visited in my travels. This is essential for reinvigorating the process by which we educate our young about our history. I realised that sharing of information is a two-way street, that the curators of the museums visited need information from historians, genealogists, anthropologists, linguists and others, and that the ready dissemination of information by all parties can only strengthen a community’s cultural identity. This can and should be applied also to individuals who hold cultural knowledge. The only way to keep a culture rich and alive is by passing on knowledge to the next generation, through (amongst other things) education and the availability of material culture to support the education process. In that context, it is not just enough to have the material culture loaned to the Norfolk Island Museum, but for the local and federal governments to give solid support to pass on this information through schools and provide the resources to do so. My final message is that by supporting and promoting a community’s individuality, (in this case, the cultural and ethnic origins of the Norfolk Islander people of Pitcairn descent - from the Pitcairn Island settlement, and further back to the founders’ cultures of Polynesia and Europe), the Australian community is greatly enriched and enlivened. Knowledge is power, and education is the gateway to that knowledge. I myself intend to write at length about the implications of the information I have found, and I hope that this too will serve the community well.