The Pā’oa Revival Collective’s purpose and goal is to carry out research in order to actively revive the extinct ancient customary practice of barkcloth from Aitutaki (Cook Islands) called pā’oa.
Ko te `akakoro`anga tumu o te Putuputu`anga Akaora i te Pā’oa koia oki ko te kimi matatio anga i te au ravenga no te akaora`anga i te peu taito o te pakiri rakau o Aitutaki Kuki Airani koia oki te pā’oa.
Aitutaki is one of the fifteen islands that make up the Cook Islands with its own founding ancestors, unique culture, people and way of life. In ancient times Aitutaki was legendary for its bark cloth throughout the Cook Islands and with the arrival of foreigners; Europeans with new materials and technologies, pā’oa became less practiced and eventually extinct.
Ko Aitutaki oki tetai i teta`ingauru ma rima enua i roto i te Kuki Airani ma tona manomano e te tinitini. I nga ra o mua ana rongonui a Aitutaki i te tua o te kaka`u pakiri rakau inara kia tae mai te manene e to ratou ki katoa kua ngaro atura te pā’oa.
We believe that pā’oa is more than a symbol or past-time story of what our ancestors practiced, it is instead the missing link of Aitutaki and its people to the rest of Oceania and the world. The revival of pā’oa is an act of heritage reclamation; ownership and socio-political action against allowing what is lost not remain lost.
Irinaki matou e ko te pā’oa koia te taura tukati anga o Aitutaki e tona iti tangata ki te ao moana nui e pera ki te ao katoa. Ko te akaora`anga i te pā’oa e tika `anga tupuna ia no tatou i te `aka`oki mai anga i tei ngaro ana.
Pā'oa Revival Collective 