A comb with a long head used in the Tonga for ceremonial headwear
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Tonga

  • An ornately carved wooden hook
    Browse the collections from Tonga

    Browse the collections from Tonga

    View elements of Tongan life from kato alu (ceremonial baskets), woodcarving, figurative sculptures, and ngatu (bark cloth), to Kava Clubs and Black Fowls.

  • a black facemask with the image of a mouth with red lips, white teeth and a single gold tooth
    Face mask Tonga Flag Nifo Gold

    Face mask Tonga Flag Nifo Gold

    This is a face mask produced by Tongan artist Czarina Wilson, as part of her Pacific-inspired accessories, homeware and art brand Kingdom Design, and is an example of how many Pacific makers and artists redirected their making skills and business efforts to create personal protective gear in the fight against Covid-19.

  • A brown and cream tapa cloth with patterns painted on it.
    Tongan ngatu – marking moments in time

    Tongan ngatu – marking moments in time

    Ngatu are often decorated with motifs and patterns taken from the natural environment or associated with important people and events. Some of the events may be small and very local in nature, others reference bigger moments in time.

  • Screenshot of a video of head and shoulders of a woman talking to camera.
    Queen Sālote on the world stage

    Queen Sālote on the world stage

    The idea that Tongan people carry wisdom with them wherever they go is best evidenced in the leadership of the late Queen Sālote (1900–1965), the beloved monarch of Tonga.

  • a photo of the British Queen and the Tongan queen walking on a waterfront. There is a ceremonial car parked nearby.
    Queen Sālote of Tonga (1900–65) composer and poet

    Queen Sālote of Tonga (1900–65) composer and poet

    Queen Sālote died in 1965, she was deeply mourned. She was a loved and respected monarch who contributed greatly to the preservation and of Tongan culture and the creative use of the Tongan language.

  • A carved wooden bowl with four wooden legs sitting on a grey background.
    Kava drinking and Tongan culture

    Kava drinking and Tongan culture

    The most important use of kava is in meetings and ceremonies. Kava is also consumed informally, sometimes in kava clubs, which are also important venues for the preservation of the Tongan language and culture.

  • A paper cloth with designs on it. It's sepia and brown in colour
    Decorating ngatu (Tongan tapa)

    Decorating ngatu (Tongan tapa)

    Ngatu is the Tongan name for tapa or decorated barkcloth, which is often hand-painted with dividing lines, numbers and sometimes small designs on the borders taken from the natural environment or associated with important people and events. Some of the events may be small and very local in nature, others reference bigger moments in time.

  • A group of young men and women pose for a photo - they are all wearing the same outfit
    Fakakoloa ‘o Aotearoa ‘aki ‘a e Ako Lelei (Enriching Aotearoa with holistic education)

    Fakakoloa ‘o Aotearoa ‘aki ‘a e Ako Lelei (Enriching Aotearoa with holistic education)

    The theme for 2021 Uike Kātoanga‘i ‘o e lea faka-Tonga | Tongan Language Week was “Fakakoloa ‘o Aotearoa ‘aki ‘a e Ako Lelei”, which means enriching Aotearoa with holistic education. Guest writer Malia Pole‘o shines a light on how holistic education is beneficial for Tongan learners today – and for future generations.

  • Black and white photo of the back and leg of a tattooed man
    Tongan tattooing: Reconnecting to fonua across time and space through the art of tātatau

    Tongan tattooing: Reconnecting to fonua across time and space through the art of tātatau

    Guest author Tufunga Tātatau (specialist in Tongan tattoo) Terje Koloamatangi discusses the origins and uses of the Tongan custom of tātatau or tattooing.

  • Ngatu (tapa cloth)
    Tongan Language Week resource

    Tongan Language Week resource

    Download our resource and learn Tongan words, phrases, and pronunciation, and explore aspects of Tongan culture.

  • A long carved wooden club
    ‘Akau-ta – Tongan fighting clubs

    ‘Akau-ta – Tongan fighting clubs

    Pacific Cultures collections have just over 1000 artefacts associated with Tonga. Here, Curator Sean Mallon takes a look at an ‘akau tau (war club) made in the 1700s.

  • A tapa cloth with images of airplanes as part of the pattern
    Restoring a Tongan ngatu hingoa (barkcloth) commemorating WWII

    Restoring a Tongan ngatu hingoa (barkcloth) commemorating WWII

    Conservator Textiles Anne Peranteau talks about the conservation treatment of an important Tongan ngatu hingoa, or barkcloth, that commemorates the WWII war effort of Queen Sālote Tupou III and the Tongan people.

  • A tin oil drum with cow hide stretched on both ends. There are two drumsticks in the foreground.
    Nafa and Nafa: the drum beats of Tonga

    Nafa and Nafa: the drum beats of Tonga

    Drumming is a significant part of Pacific life and cultural performances. Historically in Tonga, the drum called nafa were wooden slit drums and the first written accounts about the nafa appear in journals written by personnel on English explorer James Cook’s visit to Tonga in 1773.

  • A student stand with a trumpet in a box
    Countering stereotypes through co-collecting with Tongan youth

    Countering stereotypes through co-collecting with Tongan youth

    As part of our co-collecting initiative with the Tongan community, students have been considering what truly represents them and counters stereotypical representations. Curator Pacific Art, Nina Tonga highlights some of the students and their selected objects.

  • A teenage girl in a school uniform holding pandanus seed necklace and a booklet, standing in front of a dark red wooden wall
    Revisiting the Tongan co-collecting stories of Project 83: Small Things Matter

    Revisiting the Tongan co-collecting stories of Project 83: Small Things Matter

    We revisit the stories of the ‘youth agents’ of Project 83: Small Things Matter. This co-collecting project was developed by the Year 13 Tongan language class of Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate in 2017.

  • Men sitting on the ground outside performing a ceremony with kava
    Watch: Kava Clubs and Black Fowls

    Watch: Kava Clubs and Black Fowls

    ‘Boy meets girl’ happens all over the world, but in some cultures, a ‘Black Fowl’ or close friend is needed to move things along. In Tonga, the Black Fowl entertains the parents with a kava ceremony while the boy and girl have some time to get to know each other.

  • Hand-drawn map of Tonga
    Quiz: Tongan Language

    Quiz: Tongan Language

    How’s your basic Tongan? Time to brush up using Tongan objects from Te Papa’s collection. Give it a go and have fiefia (fun)!