As part of celebrating Tongan Language Week: Uike Kātonga’i ‘o e Lea Faka-Tonga (1-8 September) the Pacific Cultures team are highlighting some of the Tongan items in Te Papa’s collection. This is the fourth blog in our series.
Tongan ngatu also known as tapa cloth is an important part of Tongan art and tradition. Te Papa’s collection of about 60 ngatu range in style and use. Some ngatu include symbols of the Tongan royal family, while another records the sighting of Halley’s comet in 1910 (see below).
Other ngatu have words and names inscribed on the cloth. These give us a clue about the people who were once associated with the ngatu. For example a ngatu dated 1932 has the name ‘Siaosi Taufa’ahau’ and images of cricket cups and the crest of Tupou College (see below). The name referred to the late King Tāufa’āhau Tupou IV when he was a school boy at the College.
Another style of tapa cloth is called ngatu ‘uli (black tapa cloth) where the cloth is intensely dyed using candlenut soot, although other dyes are also applied. The ngatu ‘uli below has what appears to be a layer of red clay underneath the candlenut soot.
In 2009 for the exhibition Tapa: Pacific Style, Te Papa worked with the Otaota Fahina Society led by Reverend Sitili Tupouniua and his wife, Lolohea to film Tongan tapa-making in Auckland. To view some of the footage and interviews, click on the links below: