Digital Fagogo - Weaving a Coconut frond hat aka Pare ukarau

Young artist Ezekiel Tuatea Tatuava-Enjoy breaks down the tikanga of his ancestors from Atiu in looking at how important the Coconet tree of life is to Cook Islands culture.

You may have seen the many Island styles of coconut front hats that people rock around the Pacific on hot days, from the visor styles to the full hats - these organic head shades come in all shapes and sizes and can be made straight from nature. 

Zeke shares stories of his grandparents and how he was brought up to learn to weave and understand Cook Islands traditions, as he takes us step by step through the process of making a simple palm frond hat.

These can be made with flax and even paper in countries that can't access coconut leaves, as he explains here - 


Digital Fāgogo is a Pacific storytelling series, looking at the ancient arts of the Moana which are brought to life through the skills of 8 different creators of Pasifika taonga.  

From the tuiga of Samoa, to plaiting skills from Rotuma, the tikanga of lei making in Hawaii and the weaving of the Cook Islands - this series aims to connect young Pacific Islanders with their heritage arts and culture.