Clinton Mata-Etu-Rau Hewett (Aitutaki, Rarotonga, European)
This exhibition created by Cook Island artist, woodcarver and author, Clinton Mata-Etu-Rau Hewett, can be separated into two bodies of work. The first directly references stories from Aitutaki history that were shared through the traditional practice of oral storytelling. The second body of work explores the visual language of storytelling that exists in Cook Island cultural dance and historic symbolic imagery and is a celebration of the positive and unequivocal contributions that female role models have made and continue to make to improve our lives.
A practice that has existed throughout the history of many Pacific identities, cultural dance has endured and transmitted Cook Island narratives and historic chronicles, of which have been intrinsic to the sustainability of cultural values and interconnections found within our tribal societies.
Traditional choreography, accompanied by chants and songs, have communicated ancestral stories of heroes, love, and also taught of genealogies and customary obligations through their performance. More recently it has provided a connection and a continuation of our Cook Island cultural practices that currently exist within the Cook Island diaspora found in Aotearoa and Australia..
Stripped back and void of the nakedness of their anatomy, the female forms represent the superior grace, endurance and expression, unequaled in our performance storytelling. As we begin to understand our changing environment, migration and globalization, we are ever adapting to becoming chameleon-like, within our new surroundings, while continuing to participate in our cultural expression of our proud histories, through the practice of narrative performance and cultural dance.
