Reading the Multilingual Novel with the Mā'ohi Tīfaifai: An Indigenous Research Methodology

Abstract

Tīfaifai, a term that means “to mend” or “to patch” in Tahitian, broadly refers to the Mā'ohi patchwork. Previously imported into Mā'ohi Nui (French Polynesia) by the missionaries in the early to mid-nineteenth century, it has been appropriated by Mā'ohi people and indigenized. Nowadays, the tīfaifai is a symbol of cultural pride and Mā'ohi artistry that is tightly linked with identity conceptualizations in the region. Drawing from multilingual literary theories and Pacific concepts of diaspora, Indigeneity and postcolonialism, this article analyzes Tahitian author Célestine Vaite’s three multilingual novels, Breadfruit , Frangipani and Tiare in Bloom (2000–2006). Using a methodology based on the tīfaifai creation process and functions, it argues that the tīfaifai, as an object of value, allows building knowledge and meaning. This article aims to address the need to develop research methodologies that are in step with Indigenous Pacific realities and theories.