Tongan Tapa Cloth
Tongan Tapa Cloth
Name/Title
Tongan Tapa ClothEntry/Object ID
E-53Description
This detailed tapa cloth, made of bark fibers, depicts two identical scenes: a mountain peak with a sun on the left, while two birds fly over the peak towards the sun. Below the scenes is a triangular design, with the number 39 to the right, and the number 40 to the left. There are three dots in the upper right hand corner arranged in a triangular fashion, with the same three dots on the left side just above the mountain scene. There are words, "Koe Fung Eua, on the left hand side, as well as the words "Koe Hala Toa" on the right side, depicted upside down.Use
Tapa cloth has a verity of uses. In time past, tapa cloth was primarily used for clothing, but now has been replaced by other materials like cotton. It is also labor-intensive to manufacture, being made by both men and women. Nowadays, tapa is often worn on formal occasions such as weddings. Other uses include as blankets or for room dividers. It is highly prized for its decorative value and is often found hung on walls as decoration. In Tonga, a family is considered poor, no matter how much money they have, if they do not have any tapa in stock at home to donate at life events like marriages, funerals and so forth. If the tapa was donated to them by a chief or even the royal family, it is more valuable. It has been used in ceremonial masks both in Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands (Mangian masks). It was also used to wrap sacred objects, e.g., "God staffs" in the Cook Islands.Context
In Tonga, where this cloth is from, tapa is known as n'gatu, and here it is of great social importance to the islanders, often being given as gifts. This particular cloth has names-"Funga Eua", which means "top of Eua", Eua being an island in the Kingdom of Tonga, and "Hala Toa" which could be a surname of the artist who wove this cloth. Traditionally, a n'gatu is not considered complete without the addition of three dots as decoration, so we can assume this cloth is finished and ready to display or be given as a gift.Collection
El Camino College Anthropology MuseumAcquisition
Accession
95.1.41Source or Donor
Linda GassettEthnography
Cultural Region
Region
PolynesiaContinent
OceaniaCulture/Tribe
Tongan