Skip to main content

Kōrero: Samoans

‘Tapa‘au’

Image
‘Tapa‘au’

This 1992 lithograph is by Fatu Feu‘u, who was born on the island of Savai‘i and came to New Zealand to study art. His work has given fresh meaning to traditional Samoan motifs. In ‘Tapa‘au’, the Samoan word for a woven coconut mat, the white frangipani blossom and frigate birds are symbols of birth and life.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Auckland Art Gallery – Toi o Tāmaki

by Fatu Feu'u

Permission of Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Lupematasila Melani Anae, Samoans – Contributions to New Zealand, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/artwork/1632/tapaau (accessed 24 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Lupematasila Melani Anae, i tāngia i te 4 March 2009, reviewed and revised 7 September 2022 me te āwhina o Lupematasila Melani Anae.

Comments

Liberty Teague
18 March 2025
What is the traditional meaning of the four-leaf / flower motif?