Lily Laita: The Southern Cross of Pacific art farewelled by grieving community

Lily Aitui Laita (Ngati Raukawa, Samoan) was a pioneer of Pacific arts and an outstanding educator.

Head of Art at Western Springs where she served faithfully for over three decades, the school was closed yesterday to host Laita’s tangi.

The first ever Pacific woman to graduate from Elam School of Fine Arts in 1990, she was also a founding member of Tautai Pacific Arts Trust and an artist of international importance with Te Papa holding 18 of Laita’s works in their collection.

She passed away on Friday, 6 October surrounded by family and friends singing her out softly and is survived by her husband and two sons.

Reverend Mua Strickson-Pua shared his ‘poementary’ for Laita below, who he says was someone that: “Stood out in every way.”

Democracy is a foreign flower 1998 by Lily Laita. Image/Supplied/Facebook

LILY AITUI LAITA

Pasifika Artist Pioneer

By Rev. Mua Strickson-Pua

Lily

A good wife

A good mother

A great Pasifikan artist pioneer

to her Aiga our heartfelt Alofa

to our Pasifika Maori Palagi Tauiwi

everyone from our Artist communities.

The final canvas

stares back at us

encapsulating our humble

visual attempts

to honour Lily

her Aiga her Whanau

by expressing our

Alofa Aroha Agape

by sharing our memories

of family stories

now our shared nation’s histories

we honour a great woman

Ofa Atu our Aroha.

Proverbs 31:31 Holy Bible NLT

Reward her

for all she has done.

Let her deeds

publicly declare

her praise.

Talofa lava Aiga

Tena koe Whanau

greetings family of humanity

Ngati Human Tribe

I am the Reverend Mua Strickson-Pua

with my beloved Linda Strickson-Pua

we have been blessed

over 30 years of Tautua

serving our Pasifika arts communities

connected to our families, communities,

and nations

like Lily mindful

of our Tupuaga Tupuna

beloved ancestors

our villages our island nations.

Lily’s Aiga family

in 1990-1991 history was made

the first Aotearoa Niu Sila New Zealand

Pacific National Art Exhibition tour

“No Iotefa Moemoea”

Dream Of Joseph

forever emblazed

on our hearts and minds

I cannot emphasis enough

this was groundbreaking

this was game changing

again history making

first Niu Sila national tour

by Pasifikan artists

honouring Te Moana nui-a-kiwa

our South Pacific region

taking us internationally

globally

please Aiga Whanau

do not forget our Pasifika

urban arts history Tala Fa’asolopito

Lily’s contribution was immense

with those amazing other artists

in the context of collective communal collaboration

We Us our families our villages our island nations reconnecting reclaiming redeeming

we tonight honour celebrate

this her family service.

Lily

amongst her

Pasifika

contemporaries

stood out

her loud hair

beautiful smile

feisty feminist

Maori Samoan Palagi

Wairuatanga

but passionate

about the workshops

for Autalavou

Rangatahi

young people

with cups of tea

for theWhaea

KaumatuaMatua

come community workshops

alongside the art exhibitions

she was that pioneer

impassioned

Pasifika community arts educator

who better then a living legend

for a role model, mentor, motivator,

daughter, sister, mother

I know she would cringe

with humility

she worked

hard on committees

she was a doer

making things happen

for her students

our families, communities,

and nations

she was our

Nafanua

Samoan war goddess warrior

when confronting

systemic institutional racism

and sexism.

Lily

was brave

courageous

and loving.

Proverbs 31:28 Holy Bible NLT

Her children

stand and bless her.

Her husband

praises her.

Lily

you blessed us all

again fa’afetai lava

you have gone

to join and become

an esteemed Tupuaga Tupuna

beloved ancestor

manuia le malaga

praise God viiga Atua

Amene!