Primary Education Kit VISITING THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM BRIEFING A Museum staff member will be on hand to greet your group when you arrive. They will brief your groups about how to move around the Museum and direct you to areas of the Museum you intend to visit. BAG STORAGE There is limited bag storage available on site. It is recommended that students just bring a small carry bag with the essentials for the day, however if required, storage can be provided depending on availability. EXHIBITIONS In addition to any booked educator-led sessions, students and teachers may explore the Museum’s exhibitions in their own time. Some special exhibitions may incur an additional charge. It is suggested that students visit the galleries in small groups to prevent overcrowding. LUNCH AND BREAKS It is recommended that students bring their recess and lunch and eat in Hyde Park or Cook & Phillip Park, both of which are across the road from the Museum. Alternative arrangements will be provided in the case of wet weather. BYOD AND PHOTOGRAPHY Students are encouraged to bring their own devices to take photos, video and/or audio to record their excursion. Some temporary exhibitions do not allow photography but you will be advised of this on arrival. FREE WIFI The Museum offers free Wi-fi for onsite visitors. It is available in 30 minute sessions. Students and teachers can log on for more than one session. PHOTOCOPYING Please photocopy the following materials for students and accompanying adults prior to your visit. SUPERVISION Teachers and supervising adults are required to stay with their groups at all times. Disciplining of students remains the responsibility of teachers and supervising adults accompanying the group. 3 PRIMARY EDUCATION KIT PACIFIC SPIRIT PACIFIC SPIRIT INTRODUCTION The Australian Museum (AM) is custodian to one of the largest Pacific cultural collections in the world, with over 60,000 objects from across the region. The primary focus of the collection is on the Melanesian nations of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The Pacific collections and research at the AM focus on material culture, ethnography, history and archaeology of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific region. EXHIBITION INFORMATION Pacific Spirit is a window into the collection, exhibiting a selection of rare and priceless artefacts including: 23 elaborate and sacred Malagan masks from Papua New Guinea dating from the 1800s; ceremonial poles from New Ireland; intricately carved door panels from New Zealand; Bird of Paradise head ornaments from the highlands of Papua New Guinea; Kava bowls and drums from Samoa; towering slit drums from Vanuatu; a tivaevae from the Cook Islands; and delicate jewellery from Fiji. The exhibition not only features artefacts, but pulls the viewer in with riveting multimedia featuring content and video footage of the people of Papua New Guinea. The AM has longstanding relationships with communities throughout the Pacific and is committed to promoting greater understanding of Pacific artefacts and cultural materials and providing access to the collections to a wide range of community groups, researchers and the general public. Visitors will discover how each object embodies the culture that continues to resonate in contemporary Pacific societies, including in Sydney and across NSW. Further information on the Museum’s Pacific Collections: https://australianmuseum.net.au/pacific- collections 4 PRIMARY EDUCATION KIT PACIFIC SPIRIT PACIFIC SPIRIT BACKGROUND INFORMATION PEOPLE People of the Pacific inhabit around 10,000 of the 25,000 islands of the Pacific Ocean. Descended from the same ancient genetic group as South East Asians and Han Chinese, the people of the Pacific accomplished the settlement of the most challenging of the world’s environments, using a deep knowledge of the ocean, finely-tuned navigational skills, and sophisticated voyaging canoes. These peoples have been in the Pacific for 40-50,000 years. The Pacific, an ocean that covers 1/3 of the globe, is one of the world’s most culturally diverse regions - over a thousand languages are spoken in these nations, including: American Samoa New Zealand Australia Niue Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands Palau Cook Islands Papua New Guinea Easter Island Republic of Marshall Islands Federated States of Micronesia Samoa Fiji Solomon Islands French Polynesia Tokelau Guam Tonga Hawaii Tuvalu Kiribati Vanuatu Nauru Wallis and Futuna New Caledonia Within all this diversity, some key themes can be identified. Pacific island communities usually have three things at their core: • connection to land and sea, • connection to family and ancestors, • and connection to cultural practice. One of the practices that many Pacific Islanders are proud of is a warm welcome and open hospitality they extend to visitors. Welcome to Pacific Spirit! PACIFIC IN SYDNEY Many of the countries represented in the gallery have representatives living in Sydney. Community members often get together – for instance at church on Sundays and for celebrations. There are large communities from Aotearoa, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and elsewhere, many based in Western Sydney. Other groups are represented too. Many national days are celebrated, and many cultural practices continue to enrich the life of Sydney - as they have done for hundreds of years. 5 PRIMARY EDUCATION KIT PACIFIC SPIRIT PACIFIC SPIRIT BACKGROUND INFORMATION BIRDS OF PARADISE Birds of Paradise are important to the Pacific. These animals are used culturally and economically, especially in Papua New Guinea. For the last 50,000 years on the island, Birds of Paradise may be worn as decoration for clothing, traded, imitated, and used as symbols. There is a special connection between people in Papua New Guinea and these birds – many believe that their souls are linked to them. There were hunting limits set on conserving Birds of Paradise species and people took care not to anger the spirit guardians of the birds. When birds were hunted, they were either shot out the skies or stunned, to keep their beautiful feathers intact. The more birds one had, the wealthier one was perceived to be. Birds of Paradise were exchanged for brides and used in ceremonies. People often dressed up as these birds, danced like them, and used drums to mimic the bird’s songs. MALAGAN Malagan are carvings that are used in ceremonies to honour the spirits of the dead by helping them pass into the spirit world. They can be found in the form of masks, figures, posts, and plaques, and are used within ceremonies that involve a whole community. Families of the deceased request these carved objects from special Malagan makers that reside in their village. Objects are made with ancestral designs from a clan or individual. The pieces are not exact replicas of what the person may look like but they are instead interpretations of the person’s spirit. Ceremonies allow the communities of the deceased to show respect and celebrate the time when they were alive. There are dances featured where the dancers may wear the Malagan pieces. However, some Malagan pieces are put in specific areas where only Malagans are kept. The ceremonies may end with a feast to honour the deceased. TIVAEVAE Tivaevae are quilts made by the women of the Cook Islands. The tradition of making these pieces is believed to have been introduced by the wives of European missionaries in the 19th century. Crafting Tivaevae is a social group activity that requires sewing and design skills. Tivaevaes are made with patchwork and applique, and involve as many as two or more colours. Popular designs include flowers reflective of the Cook Islands environment. Many Tivaevae are given as ceremonial gifts for special occasions such as baptisms, childbirth, weddings, funerals, and the special first hair cutting ceremony for a child.They can even be given as simple decorations for the house. Tivaevaes can be sold to tourists and other island visitors, however, this was not always the case. It was often believed to be bad luck and that the makers would lose their ability to make them if they sold them. 6 PRIMARY EDUCATION KIT PACIFIC SPIRIT PACIFIC SPIRIT BACKGROUND INFORMATION PRESERVING CULTURE Traditions are passed down in many ways on the Islands of the Pacific. There are many oral traditions - as in Aboriginal Australian communities, and similar to those communities too, children especially learn a lot from watching – for instance watching fishing, carving, weaving, or the making of tivaevae. Older generations want to keep their traditions alive by passing them down to the younger generations. The AM supports the preservation of Pacific peoples’ heritage by holding, conserving and sharing cultural objects. 7 PRIMARY EDUCATION KIT PACIFIC SPIRIT PACIFIC SPIRIT NSW SYLLABUS LINKS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3 OUTCOMES A student: A student: A student: › relates the properties › identifies the physical › describes how the of common materials to properties of natural and properties of materials their use for particular processed materials, and determine their use for purposes ST1-1VA how these properties specific purposes ST3-13MW influence their use ST2- 13MW CONTENT Material World Material World Natural and processed The properties of materials materials have a range determine their use for of physical properties specific purposes. which influence their Students: use. › explore how materials are Students: used in innovative ways for › generate ideas about specific purposes, e.g. the how the physical use of soft-fall materials in properties of some playgrounds and geotextiles natural and processed to retain water in landscaping materials influence their use VISUAL ARTS STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3 OUTCOMES VAS1.3 Realises what VAS2.3 Acknowledges VAS3.3. Acknowledges artists do, who they are that artists make that audiences respond in and what they make. artworks for different different ways to artworks reasons and that various and that there are different intepretations are opinions about the value of VAS1.4 Begins to possible.