Therese Mangos and John Utanga trace the history and practice of tattooing (tatau) in the Cook Islands through the ancient oral traditions of its people, reports of often repressive early Western visitors and rich archival material.

More than a survey of times gone by, Patterns of the Past also looks at the renaissance of this art form through the eyes of some its most important contemporary tatau artists.

Supplemented with over 250 contemporary and historical images of traditional Cook Islands design and heritage art, this is a vivid, beautiful and important work. It provides the first comprehensive examination of Cook Islands tattoo and celebrates how tatau is impacting on a generation searching for symbols of its own identity.

Therese Mangos, author
Therese is a NZ-born Cook Islander. She was inspired to research Patterns of the Past over a decade ago when she realised there was very little information about Cook Islands tattooing available. As an amateur writer she launched into writing and later joined forces with John Utanga to draw upon their combined skills. Therese has a Degree in Commerce from Auckland University and spent almost 20 years working as a freelance film technician.  More recently she has co-managed an environmental organisation focused on sustainability. Therese is currently the operations manager of a green start up promoting waste minimisation.

John Utanga, author
John has been an established journalist for the last 21 years.  Born and raised in the Cook Islands he left to pursue tertiary study at Auckland University and Manukau Polytechnic. For the last 15 years he has worked as a television reporter for Tagata Pasifika which focuses on Pacific Islands issues in New Zealand and in the islands.  He is a well-known figure in the Pacific and Cook Islands communities.

Kirsty Griffin, photographer
Kirsty Griffin is one of New Zealand’s leading stills photographers in the film and television industry. She also works as a documentary photographer, using the skills of her craft to creatively reflect the world around her.
In 2010 she relocated to New York to attend the Photojournalism and Documentary Photography school at the International Centre of Photography, where she received the Helen M Stummer scholarship.

For more information visit www.kirstygriffin.com

Punarua Productions
PO Box 60 133, Titirangi, Auckland 0642
Email: [email protected]
www.punaruaproductions.co.nz

For more information, contact Therese Mangos
Phone: +64 9 818 6365 Mobile 021 764 343
Email: [email protected]