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Solomon Aelan Pijin Langguis Wik – Solomon Islands Pidgin Language week

The 2024 theme for Solomon Islands Pidgin Language Week is ‘Protektim langguis an kalsa blong yumi – Protect our language and culture’

A round disc made of turtle shell that has been carved into a pattern.

Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands, an archipelago nation situated in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, is made up of over 900 islands with rainforests, coastal environments, and coral reefs. The people of the Solomon Islands are primarily Melanesian and the official language is English, however, pidgin English is widely spoken.

A carved wooden head figurine with inlaid shells

The Solomon Islands story of Tiola and the origin of the nguzunguzu

This is the story of Tiola, a banara (chief) in Solomon Islands mythology and the origin of the nguzunguzu, canoe prow figureheads used by the islands’ tribes.

The underside of a fern frond with orange spore spots in patterns covering it.

Solomon Islands expedition: The ferns

Botany Curator Leon Perrie describes his expedition to central Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands to document the ferns and lycophytes.

A coiled belt made of hundreds of small red feathers and leather in the middle.

Tevau (red feather currency)

This is a tevau, a coil of highly prized red feathers from the Santa Cruz Islands in the Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands. In this region, tevau was a kind of currency often exchanged for services and goods such as canoes, root crops, turtles and pigs.

Browse our Solomon Island collections

Find out about Solomon Island art, tools, clothing, currency, and life held in our collections.

What’s coming up

A long beige banner image with an older woman with bright orange hair, heavy makeup, a tiara and bold jewellery on. She is looking at the camera with a slight sneer.

Opening soon: Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery

Created by Vivienne Westwood Limited and produced by Nomad Exhibitions, this retrospective exhibition celebrates the iconic jewellery of renowned British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood (1941–2022).

Opening soon

Exhibition Ngā whakaaturanga

A pendant resembling a planet with a blue ring, gold details, and multicolored gems, hanging from a gold chain.

Book ahead: Events for Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery

Book events and workshops as part of the Vivienne Westwood & Jewellery exhibition.

Santa Claus reclines casually with both arms raised on a red chair, wearing sunglasses, and dressed in a classic red velvet suit with white fur trim, black boots, and a tartan-patterned scarf. Behind him, a Christmas tree is decorated with tartan hearts and gold, red, and green baubles.

Kia hari, kia koa! Kirihimete i Te Papa!

Looking for some Christmas inspiration? Or perhaps you are missing the hustle and bustle of the European Christmas Street Markets. Then come to Te Papa for an all-day-long Christmas feast for all ages!

Sun 1 Dec 2024, 10.30am–3.30pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

A gallery with six pillars and an artwork strung up using wide material straps.

Gordon H Brown Lecture: Moonwalking, Making Radical Art Histories in the Pacific

Join Nina Tonga for the annual Gordon H Brown Lecture, hosted in collaboration with Victoria University and the Adam Art Gallery.

Tue 10 Dec 2024, 6.30pm–9.00pm

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

What’s on at Te Papa

Events

Our exciting programme of events runs all year. Watch song and dance performances, join in with kids activities and cultural days, hear from our experts, and much more.

View of Te Taiao | Nature, with two moa in the foreground and various displays behind

Exhibitions

Celebrate Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique natural environment. See Gallipoli through the eyes and words of eight ordinary New Zealanders. Hear extraordinary stories from young refugees.

Several gift items that are either yellow or purple are laid out on a mauve background.

Te Papa stores

At Te Papa Store, our perspective is deeply rooted in our relationship with Aotearoa New Zealand. Choose from our carefully curated selection of products that reflect the essence of the museum.

Yoga Tuesdays at Te Papa

Join AWHI Yoga & Wellbeing kaiako (teacher) Hana Buchanan for a 60-minute yoga class that explores the connections between te ao Māori (the Māori world) and ancient yoga wisdoms in the beautiful sanctuary of Te Papa Tongarewa!

7.30am, every Tuesday

Event Ngā kaupapa motuhake

Explore the website – The digital museum

Green fence with a hand-painted sign on it saying, 'Give nothing to racism' in green and black.

Antiracism and activism

Read about protest collecting, decolonisation, and antiracism from our tohunga (experts), and across the web.

A sepia photo of a man in a hammock with two small children on his lap.

Leslie Adkin

Leslie Adkin was a farmer and noted amateur geologist and ethnologist. Photography was also a passion of his, and he documented every aspect of his life, from his family to his scientific interests, from the 1910s until the 1950s. Explore some of the Leslie Adkin collection.

Watch: Kōrero – Mana Wāhine, Mana Taonga

Watch the kōrero from wāhine Māori as they discuss the importance of wāhine representation in Māori arts, and what has shifted since the 1984 international exhibition, Te Maori.

Black and white photo of a large group of people marching alongside a rural road. The person at the front is carrying a large flag

Kia hiwa rā! Resistance, persistence, and defiance in Aotearoa

Explore protest in Aotearoa through our Collections Online. You can delve into why people protest, explore activism in your own community, and grow your own skills as a changemaker.

Discover more

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