Mamalu - A lineage embodied

This workshop centres the malu, the Samoan female tattoo, as a living archive of cultural knowledge and ancestral presence.

Through discussion, drawing, writing and embodied practice, participants will explore how Indigenous knowledge is encoded in the body, and how these markings intersect with gender, identity, and sovereignty. Grounded in my own malu and artistic practice, the workshop invites critical reflection on issues of cultural appropriation, authorship and the responsibilities of working with Indigenous visual systems.

"'O le mamalu o le fafine, o le malu."
The dignity of the woman is her malu."

Sistar S'pacific aka Rosanna Raymond is an artist, performer, and cultural activist known for her dynamic contributions to contemporary Moana Nui (Pacific) arts. Her embodied practice, or acti.VĀ.tions, critiques colonial museum traditions and activates the Vā Body - a living vessel that holds space with ancestral, present and future narratives. Raymond's work bridges performance, installation and dialogue to keep culture alive through innovation and relational practice.