Of all the Rotuman art forms, composing songs for special occasions, and choreographing taumaka dances, have survived with the most vigor. Prior to a special event, the group chosen to perform meets regularly for rehearsals, and a good deal of pride is involved.

Tapa cloth (or simply tapa) is a barkcloth made in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, primarily in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, but as far afield as Niue, Cook Islands, Futuna, Solomon Islands, Java, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Hawaii (where it is called kapa).

Rotuma (/ roʊˈtuːmə /) is a self-governing heptarchy [citation needed], generally designated a dependency of Fiji. Rotuma commonly refers to the Rotuma Island, the only permanently inhabited and by far the largest of all the islands in the Rotuma Group.

Aug 28, 2020 · Politically, the northernmost of Fiji’s islands, Rotuma is a distinct Western Polynesian society with closer cultural affinities to ‘Uvea and Tonga than southern Fiji. Little is known about Rotuman tapa, although it seems that paper mulberry may have been unavailable, and all cloth made from Artocarpus altilis (breadfruit).

May 11, 2022 · In support of Rotuma Language Week 2022, Curator Pacific Cultures Rachel Yates reflects on the acquisition of an ‘apei sala (white mat) and monuma (blouse) for the Pacific Cultures collections. Both koroa (treasures) were officially …

Little-known lives: Rotumans in 19th-century Aotearoa New Zealand Senior Curator Pacific Histories and Cultures Sean Mallon shares two rare stories of Rotuman travellers who found their way to New Zealand in the early 1800s, and how a contemporary Rotuman artist has …

Personalised Fiji and Rotuma Together Family Matching Off Shoulder Maxi Dress and Hawaiian Shirt Tapa and Pacific Art Pattern with Cultural Emblems Half Style LT03

Rotumans plaited a variety of useful and ceremonial items, including mats, baskets, and fans from materials such as pandanus leaves, coconut fronds, and the bark of certain trees. Bennett reported that four kinds of mats were manufac-tured on the island in 1830, including one ordinary mat (‘epa) and three grades of fine white mats (apei).

Dec 1, 2020 · For Rotuma, a Pacific island under the protectorate of Fiji, language vulnerability is real and threatens their unique identity.

May 11, 2022 · Rotuman Language Week celebrates one of the rarest languages in the world. Public Programmes Specialist Jacki Leota-Mua and members of the Rotuman community transport us from the safety of our rāhui bubbles to Rotuma, 500 kilometres north of Fiji, to discover more about the island’s kava ceremonies.