Unbekannt

In accordance with the brothers’ interpretations of Fa’asāmoa, each show involved dramatised adaptations of cultural protocols and ceremonies that hinged on everyday life in Sāmoa. Theatrical props included customary attire and replicas of culturally significant structures and landmarks to evoke a stronger sense of ‘authenticity’. Alongside each show, promotional material like postcards were sold and distributed. These often comprised staged photographs and labels of performers written based on colonial stereotypes. Women, for instance, were portrayed as exotic “Island belles” to lure in a voyeuristic male audience, while men were labelled “noble savages”. Ephemera of the like drew in big crowds while objectifying the travelling group and appropriating Sāmoan culture for financial gain.
This photograph is an example of such collectibles. It has been ascribed to Danish photographer Even Neuhaus and was possibly taken in his studio around 1896. Depicted are three female travelling performers in costume. The women have been identified as the Tuaimalo sisters: Fa’agalo (left), Fai Atanoa (centre) and Manaima (right). The photograph was likely taken after the first show in 1895 to be featured on a postcard for promotional purposes thereafter. It is unclear whether the sisters participated in subsequent shows organised by the Marquardt brothers, however.
All three women are wearing the same patterned cotton dress that strongly references siapo mamanu. The frilly and layered collar, cinched waist and knee-length hem recall the French can-can dress worn by dancers. The sisters are adorned with tiered beaded seed necklaces and pale that are perched atop their pinned hair. Fai Atanoa (centre) received a significant amount of attention from the audience. Despite her lower societal rank, she was appointed the taupou by the founding brothers and performed the ‘ava ceremony. This sparked tension, as the group included women better suited to the role according to Sāmoan protocol. The incident is a poignant illustration of the violence inflicted upon colonised communities by outsiders who constructed new social narratives to suit their commercial agenda.
In 1901, ethnic shows were banned out of fear the group may be exposed to anti-German sentiments while touring outside of Germany. German authorities also suggested that the shows blurred the lines between colonisers and the colonised, encouraging the performers to demand the same privileges as their oppressors. To continue touring the Sāmoan ensemble, the Marquardt brothers argued that the shows conveyed Germany’s power and influence in the global sphere. This was an attempt to boost national pride among German compatriots who had been grappling with Germany’s pursuit of Pacific territory. For additional support, the brothers turned to Wilhelm Solf, the German governor of Sāmoa at the time. Solf, who was trying to squash civil unrest in Sāmoa, saw another bout of shows as an opportunity to temporarily remove one of the contenders for the title of king, Tamasese Lealofi, from Sāmoa. In his letter to Germany’s ruler, Kaiser Wilhelm II, Solf asserted that Sāmoans were compatriots after all, and therefore entitled to visit their homelands, culminating in a temporary lift of the ban until the outset of First World War.
The exhibition of indigenous peoples, underpinned by financial motifs and often set in zoos, was not a new phenomenon. Carl Hagenbeck, for instance, travelled various groups through Europe in 1877, coining the term “Völkerschauen”. Unlike Hagenbeck and other contemporaries, however, the Marquardt brothers alleged their interest in portraying Sāmoans as a kind people. While this is highly questionable, particularly in the face of cultural and financial exploitation, it is important to point out that the Sāmoan groups asserted self-determination in various ways. For instance, they selected performers in the later years and challenged their living conditions whilst advocating for more appropriate financial compensation.

Author: Charlotte Klinge, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa