Māori and Niuean artist Cora-Allan ‘reawakens’ a sleeping traditional artform

Photo source: Cora-Allan. Retrieved from abc.net.au

The traditional Niuean bark cloth practice of hiapo has been lying dormant for several generations after slowly disappearing in the early 1900s — now, one artist in Aotearoa New Zealand has reawakened the practice.

Cora-Allan, a visual artist of Māori and Niuean descent, has spent years researching and reviving the practice of hiapo and is regarded as one of the only living traditional makers in Aotearoa New Zealand and Niue.

It is believed hiapo was introduced to Niue when Samoan missionaries made contact with the island, and it has links to other Indigenous tapa practices from across the Pacific.

“I see myself as a person who’s reawakened Hiapo. It’s always been there. It’s always quietly been in our conversation and our stories of Niue, and never really left,” she said.

Having a close relationship with her grandparents helped Cora-Allan maintain a strong connection to Niue while growing up in Aotearoa New Zealand.