How did a bird from Samoa end up in a museum’s storage facility in Edinburgh, what journey did it take—and how are researchers today figuring out whether the bird is already extinct? Sarah Gillett, an artist from London, has reconstructed the history of the manumea, Samoa’s national bird, and told its story in a film collage. In doing so, Sarah travels back to the year 1776 and traces the bird’s journey. She is supported in this endeavor by Sefuiva Moeumu Uili of the Samoa Conservation Society. Moe searches the islands of Savai’i and Upolu for the last surviving specimens of the bird and tells Sarah about the search and the experiences with the local community.
A journey through time between Samoa, Australia, and Scotland.
The project was funded by the Kultur Digital programme.
Find more stories …
As part of preparing our permanent exhibition “The Blue Continent—Islands in the Pacific,” we’ve built networks and collected stories. There are more stories to discover here!