The Untold Story

 

Credit : The British Museum

Beyond the Mutiny on the Bounty, the founding of Pitcairn Island | Entangled histories

Since the 1790s, a version of the story of ‘The Mutiny on the Bounty’ has remained in the public conscience. A story of 9 British mutineers aboard the HMS ‘Bounty’, sailing off to an uninhabited island to avoid being court-martialled back in England.

In the 1700s it took the newspapers by storm. Since the 1830s, it has been the subject of countless books. In the 1900s, it was the subject of five feature films. However, this told (and retold) story isn’t even the half of it.

So here to right that is Dr Pauline Reynolds, historian and barkcloth maker. Pauline has been looking beyond the mutineers, to the 13 Polynesian women who set sail aboard the HMS ‘Bounty’. Through her research of tapa (barkcloth), Pauline will share with you the untold story of her tupuna vahine (ancestors), the women of Hitiaurevareva, Pitcairn Island.

Intro 00:04

The women who travelled on HMS Bounty 00:45

The true story of Mutiny on the Bounty 1:10

Why HMS Bounty went to Tahiti 2:47

Dr Pauline Reynolds’ research into tapa barkcloth 5:20

Tapa of Mauatua, British Museum 6:21

How tapa barkcloth is made 8:27

Names of each side of a tapa barkcloth beater 11:43

Tiputa poncho from Hitiaurevareva (Pitcairn Island) 12:27

How a tiputa poncho is worn 12:51

Tracing the maker of a tapa piece 14:07

The legacy of the women of Hitiaurevareva (Pitcairn Island) 15:32

‘Mauatua e’ by Dr Pauline Reynolds 16:24

Film excerpt from:

‘Hina’s Granddaughters’

Sue Pearson – creative director, artwork, photography, sound, aute

Dr Pauline Reynolds – lyrics, music composition

Mike Bridgman –  editing and animation

Ruby Clark – representation/embodiment of poem characters

Mauatua Fa’ara-Reynolds – vocalist and embodiment of Hina

This audio-visual artwork is part of a travelling exhibition by Pearson and Reynolds called Hina Sings

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