‘We Are Not Your Dusky Maidens’:Pacific women reclaim their stories

We Are Not Your Dusky Maidens. The title that is as much a shield as it is a shout.

Tonight at Te Papa’s Sounding Theatre, a film series premieres that does more than just showcase tropical flowers - it dismantles a century-old European stereotype of Pacific women.

Women from Niue, Sāmoa, Tonga, and the Cook Islands “speak back” to the “dusky maiden” trope, reclaiming their mana and sharing personal histories.

Curated by Emelihter Kihleng (Pohnpei, Micronesia), the project (We Are Not Your Dusky Maidens) centres the authentic voices of Pacific women in Aotearoa. For Kihleng, the mission is personal.

“When you say ‘Pacific Island women’ you automatically think of the long hair, the flower or sei in the ear, and not wearing that much clothes, looking sexy,” Kihleng told Island Time.

“It affects a lot of our identities and how we see ourselves in this world, whether it’s subconscious or not. For me as a curator, it’s important to explore those nuances; identity isn’t a fixed thing.”

Watch Emelihter Kihleng's full interview below.

The films were inspired by a “Dusky Maiden Tour” of Te Papa’s Pacific collections, focusing on early-1900s black and white photographs taken by Thomas Andrews. Kihleng says the images helped shape a “narrative of a beautiful, exotic, beguiling Pacific woman” designed for the Western gaze.

The project was initiated by Rachel Yates, the former Curator Pacific Cultures at Te Papa, who envisioned a talanoa on the cultural significance of tropical flowers.

“So Rachel wanted to create these films that really put a spotlight on Pasifika women here in Aotearoa, but they’re island-born, and how they feel about flowers and the dusky maiden trope,” Kihleng says. The women in the series “take ownership” and reclaim that image, she adds.

The voices of the Vā

The series features a diverse range of Pacific women sharing personal stories and cultural measina (treasures).

• Kate Ngatokorua (Mangaia, Cook Islands): Performer and scholar bridging cultural roots with contemporary Aotearoa. Currently Kaiako Pouwhakarite at the NZ Police Museum.

• Losalio Milika Pusiaki Fifita: Tongan master-poet (punake kakato), founder of Fe’unu Koula Global Academy of Tongan Arts, Dance, and Culture, former PMN radio producer, and recipient of Creative NZ’s Heritage Artist Award 2023.

• Phylesha Brown-Acton, MNZM (Fineone Hakupu Atua, Niue): Fakafifine weaver and activist championing MVPFAFF+ / Pacific LGBTQIA+ rights. She amplifies gender identities that exist beyond Western binaries.

• Tofilau Mata Atonio (Iva, Savai’i - Sāmoa): The “chief in her family” and pillar of the Kilbernie community, known for bringing cultural identity into everyday roles.

• The Filo-Masoe Sisters: Taeaolelei, Fabiefara, Sosefina, and Miracle carry forward the legacy of their late father, artist Masoe Auva’a, through fashion, painting, floral garlands such as ‘ula and pale (for the neck and head), and weaving Sāmoan culture into Wellington’s creative scene.

A living conversation

The series doesn’t shy away from the “grey areas” of history. Kihleng notes that while the historical relationship between photographers and subjects is complex, the contemporary response is one of strength.

“We don’t know the negotiations between the women and the photographers back then. But these women reveal how that stereotype affected them, and how they now use flowers in a way that empowers them. There is no one Pasifika woman’s experience. It is very diverse, and it is very real."

We Are Not Your Dusky Maidens premieres on 28 January, 6.30pm to 8.30pm at Soundings Theatre, Level 2, Te Papa. Free entry includes screening and a Q&A session with the cast.