Photographs as layered objects in Oceania

Historical photographs from the Pacific were often produced by white photographers, but they nevertheless serve as records of historical and cultural significance to Indigenous communities today. Although scholarship on photography from the Pacific has increased since the 1990s, the field has not entirely kept up with broader critical discussions in visual studies and Pacific Islands studies. This article takes a material approach to photographs, arguing for them (in spite of their flatness) as layered objects, much in the way taonga, or precious heirlooms, might be conserved and displayed through wrapping, binding and layering. The discussion focuses on two photo-based images: an ambrotype of a Tongan missionary, Barnabas ‘Ahongalu, created in Fiji in the 1860s and a pastel painting based on a family photograph by contemporary Native Hawaiian artist Michele Zalopany. By considering the multiple and layered histories present in these images, this article departs from an approach to photographs from Oceania as solely products of settler-colonialist and imperial desires. Instead, it seeks to engender new directions in conversations about photographs and photography that centre Indigenous experiences and histories.