Tigilau Ness (born 19 May 1955) is a

Niue Niue is a self-governing island country in free association with New Zealand. It is situated in the South Pacific Ocean and is part of Polynesia, and predominantly inhabited by Polynesians. One of the world's largest coral islands, Niue is c ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

activist and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

artist, and performs as Unity Pacific. Ness is a political activist and first generation

Pacific Island The Pacific islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of several ...

New Zealander.

Lifetime achievement award

In May 2009, Ness was presented with a ''Lifetime Achievement Award'' at the fifth Pacific Music Awards in Auckland, New Zealand in recognition of more than 30 years in the music industry.

Background

After being expelled from Mt Albert Grammar in 1971 for refusing to cut his

afro The afro is a hair style created by combing out natural growth of afro-textured hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair.Garland, Phyl"Is The Afro On Its Way Out?" '' Ebo ...

, he was involved in founding the

Polynesian Panthers The Polynesian Panther Party (PPP) was a revolutionary social justice movement formed to target racial inequalities carried out against indigenous Māori and Pacific Islanders in Auckland, New Zealand. Founded by a group of young Polynesians o ...

, a Polynesian rights group modelled after the

Black Panthers The Black Panther Party (originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) was a Marxist–Leninist and black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton in October 1966 in Oakland, California ...

. He was active in opposing

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

and the 1981 Springbok Tour. He was arrested during a protest march and spent nine months in Mount Eden Prison. Ness also took part in Māori land protests including the occupation of

Bastion Point Takaparawhau / Bastion Point is a coastal piece of land in Ōrākei, Auckland, New Zealand, overlooking the Waitematā Harbour. The area is significant in New Zealand history as the site of protests in the late 1970s by Māori against forced ...

. He converted to

Rastafari Rastafari is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion. There is no central authori ...

during this period. A veteran musician, Ness was one of the founders of the reggae group the Twelve Tribes of Israel in the 1970s, and started a band called Unity in 1975. He also worked with the band

Herbs Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnish (food), garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typi ...

. He formed the Unity Reggae Band in 1985, but did not release an album until 2003. His struggles against injustice and problems faced growing up in New Zealand, featured on his album ''From Street to Sky''. A documentary of the same name about Ness was released in 2008. Ness is the father of hip hop musician Che Fu (Che Ness), and often performs as a member of Che's band The Krates.

Documentaries

Ness has featured in documentaries. ''From Street to Sky'' is a one-hour documentary on his life directed and produced by Bryn Evans. Named after Ness' long-awaited first album, ''From Street to Sky'' screened on

Māori Television Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

in August 2007 and at the New Zealand Film Festival in 2008.

'From Street To Sky is an interesting and touching look at a caring rebel, a formidable protester, and talented musician whose songs reflect a life devoted to unity and compassion.' NZ Herald, July 2008

In 2008, Ness featured with his son Che Fu in the documentary ''Children of the Revolution'' about the children of political activists in New Zealand which also included

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

activist Tame Iti, Māori Party Member of Parliament Hone Harawira, Green Party Member of Parliament

Sue Bradford Sue Bradford (born 1 July 1952 in Auckland) is a New Zealand activist, academic, and former New Zealand politician who served as a list Member of Parliament representing the Green Party from 1999 to 2009. Bradford is an eco-socialist. In 2019, s ...

and anti-apartheid leader John Minto. Made by Front of the Box Productions, ''Children of the Revolution'' screened on Māori Television and won ''Best Māori Language Programme'' at the Qantas Television Awards 2008. Also in 2008, Ness was the subject of a half-hour art documentary ''Tigilau Ness'' on ''The Gravy Art Series'' made by Sticky Pictures and screened on TVNZ6. In 2011, Ness and Che Fu were featured in ''Sons from Afar'', a documentary for Māori Television in which they travelled to their homeland of Mutalau, Niue for the first time together.

References

External links

"Higher stepping man"
biographical article in ''The Southland Times'', 21 September 2007
Tigilau Ness Profile
at AudioCulture {{DEFAULTSORT:Ness, Tigilau New Zealand musicians Polynesian musicians New Zealand reggae musicians New Zealand Rastafarians Converts to the Rastafari movement Niuean emigrants to New Zealand Living people Pacific reggae 1955 births