Artist statement: Te Moana Nui is a daguerreotype series that navigates the cultural history of the Pacific Ocean. Te Moana Nui is a Māori Polynesian name for the Pacific Ocean. My Polynesian ancestors have been exploring, migrating, trading and living throughout the Pacific Ocean for 5000+ years.
Polynesian migration has stretched from the Philippines in Asia to trading in Chile, South America. They have also settled as north as Hawai’i, east as Easter Island, west as Norfolk Island, and as south as New Zealand in the Pacific.
The history of the Pacific has undertaken many cultural changes and has been influenced by migration, war and trade. Polynesians have developed unique cultures from trading materials, language, beliefs, ideas and customs throughout the Pacific.
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