Stories behind the book — 'Tatau: A History of Samoan Tattooing'
The Public History Talks are hosted by the Ministry for Culture & Heritage History Group at the National Library of New Zealand. They are usually held on the first Wednesday of the month from March to November
Date: Wednesday, 5 June, 2019
Time: 12:10pm to 1:00pm
Cost: Free. You don't need to book.
Location: Te Ahumairangi (ground floor), National Library, corner Molesworth and Aitken Streets, Thorndon
Hear Ockham winning author Sean Mallon talk about his book
In this talk, Sean discusses the book’s development and its key themes with reference to specific and some possibly surprising stories.
Tatau won the Illustrated Non-Fiction Award at the 2019 Ockham Awards.
3000 years of Samoan tatau
The Samoan Islands are virtually unique in that tattooing has been continuously practiced with indigenous techniques: the full male tattoo, the pe’a has evolved in subtle ways in its design since the nineteenth century, but remains as elaborate, meaningful, and powerful as it ever was. This cultural history is the first publication to examine 3000 years of Samoan tatau.
Through a chronology rich with people, encounters and events it describes how Samoan tattooing has been shaped by local and external forces of change over many centuries. It argues that Samoan tatau has a long history of relevance both within and beyond Samoa, and a more complicated history than is currently presented in the literature.
The book is richly illustrated with historical images of nineteenth and twentieth century Samoan tattooing, contemporary tattooing, diagrams of tattoo designs and motifs, and with supplementary photographs such as posters, ephemera, film stills and artefacts.
About the speaker
Sean Mallon, who is of Sāmoan (Mulivai, Safata) and Irish descent, is Senior Curator Pacific Cultures at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
He is a co-author of both 'Tangata o le Moana: The story of New Zealand and the people of the Pacific' (Te Papa Press, 2012) and 'Art in Oceania: A new history' (2012), which was awarded the Authors’ Club’s Art Book Prize.
Sean has been a council member of The Polynesian Society since 2008.
Image: Cover of 'Tatau: A History of Sāmoan Tattooing' by Sean Mallon & Sébastien Galliot (Te Papa Press, 2018)
Got more greens than you know what to do with? 🥦🌱🥕
Whether it’s a courgette takeover or a feijoa frenzy, don’t let those garden gems go to waste!
Our suggestion to you: Did you know you can grate and freeze excess courgettes to use in chocolate cake later? It sounds a bit dodgy, but it makes the cake incredibly moist ... and hey, it counts as a serving of veg, right? 🍫
What’s your go-to move for a bumper harvest? Drop your best "glut" recipes or preservation hacks in the comments below! 👇
Poll: Are you still heading to your local for your caffeine fix, or has the $$ changed your habits? ☕
Wellington’s identity is built on its cafe culture, but with costs climbing, that culture is under pressure. We’ve seen the headlines about recent closures, and it’s a tough pill to swallow along with a $6+ coffee.
We all want our favourite spots to stay open, but we also have to balance our own budgets ⚖️
We want to know: How are you handling the "coffee math" in 2026? Are you still heading to your local for a chat and a caffeine fix, or has the cost of living changed your habits?
Keen to read more about "coffee math"? The Post has you covered.
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46.5% I avoid spending money on coffee
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39.9% I still indulge at my local cafe
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13.6% Irrelevant - coffee is not for me
Have a say on Petone to Grenada Link Road
NZTA plan to build a Four Lane link road from Petone to Grenada under Fasttrack legislation. They plan to take it through several well established significant native bush reserves (Seton Nossitor, Gilberds Bush, Escarpment, a small part of Belmont Park etc). These are precious recreation areas in the northern suburbs and home to an amazing array of birds. The evening birdsong in Seton Nossitor Park makes it easy to think you are not even in a city. This will all disappear forever if NZTA have their way. Under Fasttrack there is little option for consultation and feedback. Tomorrow there is an "information" session where you have a chance to engage with NZTA and find out why they are building a road straight through an established builtup suburb and mulitple areas of native bush (when there are other options that can go through bare farmland). Go down and have your say. We have to stop this senseless destruction.
Community information sessions:
Newlands Baptist Church, 5 Horokiwi Road West, on:
• Saturday 14 March from 11am–2pm
• Tuesday 17 March from 4pm–7pm
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