Daren Kamali [Photo: Supplied]

Fiji-born artist, Daren Kamali is reviving a Fijian tradition that had been lost to colonization, the practice of ‘ulu-cavu’ which is to make a human-hair wig.

Speaking on Tagata Pasifika programme on TVNZ, Kamali says he is working on a revitalization project called ‘ulumate’.

“I was going to cut my hair, take it to Fiji – bury it and plant a tree on it, maybe a coconut tree normally, but I saw the ‘ulu cavu’ that was displayed here at the Auckland museum, spoke to Ole who was the events program at that time and was interested of looking further into. So, it has become a research revival arts sort of activation project.”

He says the tradition has not been practiced for more than 200 years, believed to have been abolished in post-colonial times as it was considered to be heathenism.

“In old times in Fiji history, they normally used it at wars as well as a warfare and normally you cut your hair and you wear this ‘ulu-cavu’ wig into the next war, but normally that ‘ulu-cavu’ wig is a sign of mourning as well. And they wait for like the tagi period to finish, normally the bogi-drau 100 nights, the haird underneath grows and that’s when you remove your ‘ulu-cavu’.”

[Source: Supplied]

Kamali has also created a book that contains poetries and photographs on the sacredness of the human-hair wig in the Fijian tradition.

The artist is working with Joana Monolagi, a weaver, and Ole Maiava, a photographer – on the revitalization project ‘ulumate’.