One of Te Papa’s climate change projects includes about 200 objects and photographs collected from Tokelau, to illustrate the effects of climate change and the need to adapt.
Atafu, Tokelau Photo: RNZ PACIFIC / MACKENZIE SMITH
Te Papa’s Pacific Cultures senior curator Rachel Yates was employed by the museum in 2017 to work with the local Tokelauan communities on a co-collecting initiative that would show the effects of climate change and how it is being managed.
She tells RNZ Afternoons’ Jesse Mulligan she worked closely with Tokelau’s climate change manager Paula Faiva as well as seven co-collectors based on Tokelau’s three atolls of Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo.
“A key part of what tokelauw was looking at, at the time … is how they are living with the change, how they are adapting, and sort of how Tokelau is an example that we can all learn from,” she says.
“There were a lot of objects collected, over 200 actually, and they ranged from physical objects that the collectors themselves chose as well as digital objects – we've got a lot of photographs, we’ve got drone footage and some go-pro footage from the ground.”
Some of those items collected are being displayed at the museum in Wellington. She says one example was a tauga, a coconut shell water container which is the only kind allowed to be used to collect from the village well.
“There are four coconuts, and the husks are removed, and they've got quite a smooth surface and the eyes of the coconut are open and they have a thread that connect all four together.
“What it does, it ensures a safe amount of water is extracted – enough for the use required but not so much so that the resource is exploited.”
Water is a precious resource in Tokelau, which has no natural surface freshwater sources.
“I just thought we could learn so much from a Tokelauan approach to water and to their resources,” Dr Yates says.
Pacific Cultures senior curator at Te Papa, Dr Rachel Yates. Photo: Supplied / NZ Herald
She says another of the pieces on display is a picture of one of the co-collectors.
“There's a photograph of him on the floor at the moment, and it shows him standing in the water where they used to play rugby.”
Objects like these are a precious reminder for the need to adapt to a world affected by climate change.
Tokelau is also a dependent territory of New Zealand, with its people all New Zealand citizens. Dr Yates says the collection also serves as a connection to the people, the majority of whom – nearly 10,000 – actually live in Aotearoa, with only about 1500 living on the three atolls.
“Tokelauans are New Zealand citizens and a key part of their story as well as the environmental story was actually positioning them as part of New Zealand’s environment story and making that connection here on the floor at Te Papa.
“A lot of them actually [live] in Wellington city ... with Te Papa being located in Wellington, that’s a key part of telling that story to the diaspora, all the people living outside of their homeland.
“That’s why I love the indigenous knowledge side of the project, because we’re able to showcase that in a different platform.”
“I hope it creates a lot of conversation.”
A two metre seawall is the only defence against rising tides in Fakaofo, Tokelau. Photo: RNZ Pacific/Mackenzie Smith
