Tongan master craftsman, Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi is the winner of the 2009 Creative New Zealand Senior Pacific Artist Award ($10,000). The Pacific Starmap champion was acknowledged for his outstanding contribution to the heritage of the traditional art of lalava and ‘mana’ within the community. His work is based on the ancient Pacific Island art form used for joining and binding materials such as houses, canoes and tools. Filipe Tohi joins other prominent artists as winner of the Senior Pacific Artist Award. They are: Johnny Penisula (2002), Albert Wendt (2003), Nathaniel Lees (2004), Opetia Foa’ai (Te Vaka) (2005), Jim Vivieaere (2006), Justine Simei-Barton (2007), and Igelese Ete (2008).
(Image from Pasifika Foundation Hawai’i website)
