Sione Tu铆vailala Mon奴 and Edith Amituanai: Toloa Tales
New video works explore what it means to return to an ancestral homeland.
In 2023, T腻maki Makaurau-based artists Edith Amituanai (Aotearoa, S腻moa) and Sione Tu铆vailala Mon奴 (Aotearoa, Australia, Tonga) travelled to S腻moa to celebrate a friend participating in the Miss S腻moa Fa鈥榓fafine Pageant. They also visited Amituanai鈥檚 family, including her Aunt Vaimoe who had recently returned to S腻moa after several decades living in the United States.
In these new video works, commissioned by Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhet奴, Amituanai and Tu铆vailala Mon奴 share their own kind of 鈥渞eturn鈥�, through personal stories, exchanges and tender moments of everyday life. They explore some of the ways the Pacific diaspora maintain their identity and culture after migration to countries like Aotearoa, Australia and the United States. Tu铆vailala Mon奴 is also interested in the long histories of rivalry and familial connection between Tonga and S腻moa.
The title, Toloa Tales, references a S腻moan proverb 鈥� 鈥渆 lele le toloa ae ma鈥榓u lava i le vai鈥� 鈥� about the toloa (duck) that flies far but will always return to water. It suggests that no matter how far one journeys, there is always a desire to come home.
New video works explore what it means to return to an ancestral homeland.
In 2023, T腻maki Makaurau-based artists Edith Amituanai (Aotearoa, S腻moa) and Sione Tu铆vailala Mon奴 (Aotearoa, Australia, Tonga) travelled to S腻moa to celebrate a friend participating in the Miss S腻moa Fa鈥榓fafine Pageant. They also visited Amituanai鈥檚 family, including her Aunt Vaimoe who had recently returned to S腻moa after several decades living in the United States.
In these new video works, commissioned by Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhet奴, Amituanai and Tu铆vailala Mon奴 share their own kind of 鈥渞eturn鈥�, through personal stories, exchanges and tender moments of everyday life. They explore some of the ways the Pacific diaspora maintain their identity and culture after migration to countries like Aotearoa, Australia and the United States. Tu铆vailala Mon奴 is also interested in the long histories of rivalry and familial connection between Tonga and S腻moa.
The title, Toloa Tales, references a S腻moan proverb 鈥� 鈥渆 lele le toloa ae ma鈥榓u lava i le vai鈥� 鈥� about the toloa (duck) that flies far but will always return to water. It suggests that no matter how far one journeys, there is always a desire to come home.
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