Johnny Penisula

Recorded: Wednesday 11 May 2011

Interviewer: Rebecca Amundsen

Abstracter: Courtney Ellison

TRACK 1

00:00 Interview identification and background to Johnny’s name (Ioane Reuelu, known as Johnny).

02:30 Born in Malua, Samoa on 8th April 1941. Parents trained as Pastors. Father was Reuelu Penisula Fa’alavaau, Mother was Neetia. He was “half-caste”.

04:00 Parents role in Church. Moved to Savai’i when Johnny was about 2 years old, grew up there.

05:10 First mural was in Church (at 13 y.o.). Training and career started there. One school book for everything, and he would draw all through it, and would draw in sands on the beach. It was a hobby, carving and all the arts.

07:40 By age 8 or 10 could make his own tapa cloth, involved in the whole process, cutting trees, carrying them, all of the process.

08:30 Carved my own canoe at about 10 years old. Tamanu tree used, or moso’oi – described.

09:50 Chiefs had a meeting, knew he was a good drawer. Some kids in the school had a couple of colour pencil. Had a go with colours used for tapa cloths. Chiefs asked if he thought he could do mural and he said yes. Got 10 shillings for it, considered a lot of money. Biggest challenge in whole career.

12:20 Paint they bought to paint the church, 3 or 4 litre cans of paint, was used for mural. 1 or 2, 4 inch brushes. Spilled a tin of paint, only a bit of it but was a lot to everyone. No gear for painting, took something from a coconut and tied to stick to make detailing.

14:20 Whole mural was a challenge, wanting to paint Good Shepard from Bible, saving sheep from a whole.

TRACK 2

00:00 Had not seen a sheep before, was told it was the same as a goat. Walked to a village that had goats to see what they were like. Then painted the mural. 3 months after that, father received a Christmas card with a sheep on it, and it wasn’t that far off. Awhile later 12 years ago, after learning at polytech about colours, went back and think it was a good effort for someone with no training.

02:25 Last year of school, European teacher, art wasn’t a subject at school, she said if you go to New Zealand one day, you can study art.

03:30 Grandfather wanted him to be a doctor when he was little. He was shot in the war, and crippled all his life. Can you imagine if I was a doctor, everyone would be dead.

04:25 My parents didn’t know what art was, wasn’t heard of in Samoa, but when I came here I wanted to find out about it, after what my teacher said. I went to Auckland for three months, then went to Invercargill. Took art at polytech night class, and on weekends. Tutoring 3D design, sculpturing. Growing up doing tapa cloths with women, thought should be with the men. Still love sculpturing.

06:40 Work with all different mediums, steel, fiberglass, clay, bone and wood. Stone the hardest of them all.

07:30 Late 70’s and 80s people talked about the millennium coming up made you stop and think. Never forget memories from Samoa, even 50 years since being there.

08:30 Went back to Samoa a few times. NZ delegated to go back with 27 other countries. Still trying to find out what kind of materials I can work with over there compared to here. Resources here to work with – discussed. Looked at what ancestors have done in previous millenniums, great grandchildren will ask the same in the future of work being done now. Changes in carving stones over time and in the future – discussed.

14:40 All work has the date on it so people in the future can know what it was done.

TRACK 3

01:10 Stronger the better for stones, as hard as tools can handle. Diamond tools used – described. Some say it is cheating, but ancestors if they had these tools would use them too. Comparison to using computers – described.

02:40 Stayed in Southland because of the stones, and it is home now, children and grandchildren now – explained. Early 60’s came to Southland. Pay working in freezing works.

04:10 Worked at freezing works. A lot of other Samoans, came from Christchurch, Auckland, Wellington, Dunedin etc, for the season then go back. Getting work in the freezing works – discussed.

05:40 Waited during off season, worked at railway in Bluff, played rugby, working in cold conditions, 21st birthday on banana boat coming to New Zealand – mentioned.

06:50 Mixture of people at works, students from Otago and Canterbury, Invercargill/ Southland people have work to go to after season. Some people just come for season, some with families – explained.

08:30 More Pacific Island people here in 60s and 70s than there are now – mentioned.

08:50 Southland people welcoming, going to town for the weekend, shopping, parties – explained.

10:00 Friendliness compared to people from other places, further north – described. Changes over time – described.

10:50 Pacific organisations and churches just started at that time, started about 3 different churches – described. Started in homes, hired other churches out, difficult during season, working on Sundays – explained.

12:45 Very seldom find taro in shop, happy with potatoes, Kiwi food – explained.

13:45 Ocean beach, redundancies at Tiwai, oysters at wharf, got more difficult to get work – mentioned.

14:35 Camp at Ocean Beach, cookhouse/restaurant – described.

TRACK 4

00:00 Ocean Beach – continued. Meals docked from pay, 3 meals a day, only a few minutes from work. Bus service from Bluff (H & H), not many cars, train from Bluff too – described. Games room, TV room, kitchen, cookhouse closed at 8pm, laundry, everything there.

01:55 Haven’t lost any of the language, when going back to Samoa, but don’t speak any Samoan at home (in New Zealand). Wife is a Southlander, born in Riverton- described. When children were young, working at freezing works, so leave home when they were still in bed, and arrive home they were in bed again, difficult to teach them language – explained.

04:00 Pacific Island Kids born here, probably can’t learn Samoan. Some now going up and learning at University, school in Napier teaching Samoan, invited to speak there, harder to learn language as you get older – explained.

06:00 Mother taught young ones, alphabet, reading Samoan – described. Work and art still in him, keeps strong Samoan ties – mentioned.

06:55 Children know and aware of cultural things, took them to Samoa while they were school aged - described.

08:10 Work is based on myths and old stories of Samoa, part of culture – explained. Others who have come, have lost language and culture – explained.

10:05 Work/art is fun, ‘art is you’, look at funny side of things - explained.

12:00 Name ‘Samoa’, Sa is forbidden, moa is chicken, does that mean Samoa means forbidden chicken – described. KFC – mentioned.

13:25 Coconut story, head of a tuna – described. Work based on stories such as these, sometimes funny – explained.

TRACK 5

00:30 Traditional tatau, two women swam from Fiji to Samoa with tatau for the women to be tatau in Samoa, just before they came ashore, changed story and men to be tatau. I came from Samoa to Fiji, 3 days and 2 nights on boat, took women how long to swim? Samoans tell a lot of good stories.

02:30 Wachner Place work, 150 years since signing of treaty, did a lot of research before doing this work, apart from this piece, nothing of Southland in work – explained.

04:10 Meaning of places, from village Vatuvatu, means 8 hearts, like octopus – explained. Work called ‘Lady octopus’ in Queens Park – mentioned.

05:40 Story of first prayer that was said on island was said in my village, John Williams (missionary) boat trying to go through the big opening in reef, women fishing stopped him because King of that Village was cannibal, offered coconut to drink and prayer was said – described.

09:00 Village protected by woman, like a prophet, King was baptized, religion in Samoa, ministers always eat first, before any chiefs – explained.

11:30 Palangi term for white people in Samoa, meaning – explained.

12:30 Timing of when Europeans arrived, when Samoa became ‘contemporary’ – explained. Lava-lava – mentioned.

14:30 In Southland almost 50 years, polytec, night classes – mentioned.

TRACK 6

00:00 Hard in Auckland, didn’t study art in school before coming here, School C, English, schooling – described.

00:50 Polytec, one of longest students, nearly 10 years there, job as teacher, learnt other mediums – described.

02:50 Often asked where designs come from – described. Looked at other artists, e.g. Van Gogh, always learning – explained.

05:10 Working as artist, always working, thinking, learning – explained.

05:50 Painting and sculpture, 360 degrees, small and big – explained.

06:50 Just an artist, don’t think famous – mentioned.

07:00 Speaking at universities, freedom of being an artist which you can’t get in other professions, never full-time artist, enjoy doing other things – described.

10:30 University degree, masters in fine art, don’t leave and have full workshop, working full time as artist earning $50,000 a year, have to work up to it, always doing other work – described.

12:30 Special living in Southland because of environment, quietness, small size – described. Giving up on galleries, people contact directly now – described. Everything you need in Southland, except it’s a bit cold – mentioned.

TRACK 7

00:00 Cold weather in Southland, feel it more with age – described.

00:35 Working with teenagers, attitude important, getting easier but money difficult working in arts – explained.

03:12 Engineer, freezing worker and doing arts at same time – described.

04:45 Married a Southlander, very friendly people, at freezing works, could pick which were Southlanders, easy-going, easy to make a home here – described.