Bringing Back the Forgotten

Daren Kamali and Ole Maiava are multi-media artists, working together on the revival, research and making of modern-day ulu cavu (Fijian ceremonial hair wigs). They formed the (Un)Registered Savages of Aotearoa (USofA) in 2015. 

In 2019, with support from Creative New Zealand, USofA embarked on a research trip to the United Kingdom. Here they studied a range of ulu cavu held in various museum collections, including those in the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA), at the University of Cambridge. 

This publication, Bringing back the forgotten, weaves together images of Kamali and Maiava's art work; a series of multi-media masks, alongside detailed photographs of the ulu cavu that inspired these contemporary pieces, as seen in the MAA collection.

Filled with vibrant imagery and original poems by the artists, Bringing back the forgotten offers insight into Kamali and Maiava’s creative work, with contributions from iTaukei knowledge holder and heritage artist, Joana Monolagi.