Tivaivai - traditionally Cook Islands
What are they?
Tivaivai can be considered ceremonial cloths. The making of tivaivai, similar to cotton quilts, may be seen as the most important art and craft skill still practiced in the Cook Islands.
(left: Mrs. Tokerau Munro, a well-renowned taunga (expert) embroidering part of a new tivaivai)
Tivaivai replaced tapa (bark cloth), and, to a certain extent, woven mats in traditional ceremonies. Tivaivai are the most valued treasure in every household. They are not often for sale, that's why Atiu Fibre Arts Studio has specialized on making them for you.
Apart from serving as gifts connecting family members and valued friends, tivaivai decorate private homes on special occasions and are used in functions such as baptisms, hair cutting ceremonies, weddings, and the unveiling of headstones. They even accompany the dead family members into their graves.
There are three different kinds of tivaivai
Tivaivai taorei - (pronounce tah-oray)
is the most precious kind of tivaivai and today the rarest.
A standard double bed cover is pieced together of approximately 15,000
to 32,000 fabric squares no bigger than 1" to 1.5" (2.5 cm
to 3.75 cm) forming the most intricate and colourful mosaic patterns.
It used to be a tivaivai taorei that accompanied a close family member
into the grave. According to some sources, the only places in the world
where these bed covers are made traditionally are the Cook and Society
Islands! Though formerly hand-pieced by a group of 8 women, these days
they are mostly machine pieced if made at all. The detail above shows
a detail of a hand-pieced tivaivai taorei.
Tivaivai manu - (pronounce mah-nu)
consist of 2 layers of contrasting,
uni-coloured fabric. The top layer is folded in fourths or eighths,
cut out snowflake fashion and hand or machine stitched to the background.
There are variations of more than one colour for the pattern, many
variations of how the pattern is arranged on the background and several
different stitches to sew it on. The designing and cutting requires
great skill and is therefore mainly entrusted to specialists called
taunga (pronounce tah-oongah).
Tivaivai tataura - (pronounce tah-taoo-rah)
combines appliqué and hand
embroidery. Mainly floral designs are richly decorated with an extraordinary
variety of most intricate stitches and then applied on to a plain background.
They are designed and cut by a taunga (expert) and often sewn by a
group of women to speed up the very time consuming handwork. The pattern
is usually symmetrical. Tivaivai tataura are unique to the Cook Islands!
If you would like to own a tivaivai, don't hesitate to contact us. Find out how you can gain access to our comprehensive catalogue, from which you can select and commission us to custom-make a tivaivai just for you.
