Niuean History and Art History

Niuean History

Sourced from Kiddle and Kahn-Academy

Facts:

Niue is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. It is 2,400 kilometres north west of New Zealand. Niue is often referred to as the “Rock of Polynesia.” The capital city of Niue is Alofi and the population is 1,626 people. 

Brief history: 

Niue was settled by Polynesians from Samoa around 900 AD and further settlers arrived from Tonga in the 16th century. The first European to sight Niue was Captain James Cook in 1744, he made three attempts to land in Niue but was refused entry by the people of Niue. No visitors followed Captain Cook for decades until 1830 with the arrival of the London Missionary Society. In the late 1800’s Niue reached out to Queen Victoria to help as they believed their island nation would be taken over by other settlers. A British Protectorate was put in place however Niue was brought within the boundaries of New Zealand on 11th June 1901 which limited the island to the coordinates of its area. Self government was restored by New Zealand in 1974 where Niue chose to self govern the county. Niue is now a free governing state in free association with New Zealand. New Zealand conducts most diplomatic relations on behalf of Niue. 

Hiapo: Niuean bark cloth

Little is known about early Niuean bark cloth or hiapo. The missionaries that arrived in 1830 from the London Missionary society brought with them Samoan missionaries who are believed to have introduced bark cloth to Niue. The earliest examples of hiapo were collected by missionaries and are dated to the second half of the nineteenth century. Niuean ponchos (tiputa) collected during this time are based on a style that had been previously introduced to Samoa and Tahiti. It is believed Niueans had a native tradition of bark cloth prior to the arrival of missionaries to the island nation. 

In the 1800’s a distinctive style of hiapo decorations emerged that incorporated fine lines and new ideas. Hiapo from this time are illustrated with complicated and detailed geometric designs. The patterns were composed of spirals, squares, triangles and concentric circles. A recurring pattern (motif) decreased in size from the border to the centre of the art work. Niueans created naturalistic motifs and were the first Polyneasians to introduce depictions of human figures into their bark cloth. Some hiapo examples include writing which is usually names which run along the edge of the overall design.