Response to Tongan Style at Fresh Gallery Otara - Week 6

Tongan Style at Fresh Gallery, Otara, is an exhibition of works by five Auckland based Tongan women who have translated traditional style Tongan art, such as the designs of tapa cloth, into more contemporary mediums of embroidery and crochet. This carries traditional themes utilizing materials which became available when Westerners arrived. They have created an art which incorporates cultural wealth as well as use, such as linen for occasions and clothing. Fresh Gallery is located in an area inhabited largely by the Pacific Island community, and this is evident in the exhibitions they create to attract the local public and, in this case, involve local artists. They are careful to honour and respect the culture (which is not always the case when more westernised societies display indigenous art eg Aboriginal art) in various ways, such as by printing the information in Tongan as well as English. This exhibition opening celebrated and involved the community by comprising of a traditional Tongan kava ceremony lasting well into the night.

My photographs of locals at a Kava ceremony I attended in Vava'u, Tonga

The designs found on the sheets and pillow cases derive from those evident in Tongan tapa cloth, a bark cloth from the mulberry tree, which is painted. Although it was orginially created in several Polynesian countries, Tonga is the only country in the world in which tapa cloth is still widely made. It is valued highly as it is such a lengthy process to make and paint - many people contribute their efforts towards making a piece of tapa cloth at once, and it is usually several metres long. A family in Tonga is considered poor, not according to how much money they have, but by whether they have tapa to give in times such as marriages and funerals. Its main use prior to other textiles becoming widely available was to make clothing. This is not the case now, as it loses strength when wet, although tapa is still worn on formal occasions. It could also be used as as a blanket at night as it has outstanding insulation qualities, although tapa is usually stored away and brought out only for special occasions. When I was in Tonga in 2008 for the Coronation, a long mat of tapa was laid out along the road, which the King's car arrived on, as a red carpet may be in Western societies. As mats are passed down from generation to generation, they aquire higher status over time. A collection of royal mats at the palace form the true crown jewels of Tonga, and these are only displayed on high state occasions, such as the death of a family member or a Coronation. I considered that these mats along the may be from that collection, but in fact they are on the road and the car drives over them, so they are perhaps not the most valuable in the collection! This demonstrates some context of Tongan tapa - it is rich in cultural wealth as well as use.

Tongan Tapa Cloth

Making Tapa
A photo I took of local ladies and children dancing in traditional tapa cloth attire, Ha'apai, Tonga
I took this photograph of King George Tupou V arriving at his Coronation. This is just outside the venue - you can see the tapa cloth has been laid out on the road for his arrival. Nuku'Alofa, Tonga

This knowledge sets the context for the pieces on display in Tongan Style. The visual links between tapa and the pieces on display are evident, for example in the unique patterns. Traditional designs are celebrated using not tapa cloth, but embroidery and crochet. Sheets, pillow cases and clothing have been carefully and beautifully crafted with this medium. The exhibition also includes clothing in the style of 'Tefisi', a unique look originating from a village in the islands of Vava'u, in the north of Tonga, which combines crochet and embroidery with freestyle construction, similar in a way to Western clothing.

Left to right: Tangapilo matala'i'akau (1995) by Lingisiva 'Aloua, Tupenu matala'i'akau (1973/74) by Kolokesa Kulikefu, Tupenu & Tangaipilo matala'i'akau (2002) by Lingisiva 'Aloua

The first piece I will mention is Tupenu matala'i'akau (1996), an embroidered sheet, by Manuesina Tonata (below). The visual similarity is evident between this and the tapa cloth in the patterns, including pekepeka designs, referring to bats or small birds in flight, such as the pacific swallow. This reference to nature and the land is common throughout the exhibition. Many of the pieces incorporate flower designs. The Tongan community is largely sustained from the land and fishing, so the flowers are a bright, decorative homage to this.

Found image of traditional Tongan formal attire

Western style clothing is usually combined with the traditional styles of formal Tongan attire, as pictured. It is common to layer Western style items and combine with traditional Tongan pieces around the waist. The 'Tefisi' clothing has its own spin on this style - it uses crochet and embroidery to create a fashion unique to its place of origin in Vava'u. Teunga lotu (September 2009) by Noma 'Ofa-Ki-Nu'usila Talakia'atu demonstrates this well with the delicately sewn crochet slip and multiple layers. The style is clearly similar to the traditional Tongan attire I have pictured above, but unique in this crochet. The feathers for the waist ornament, or kiekie fulufulu'imanu, are exotic, as they were brought back to New Zealand after Noma visited the United States. This reference to birds ties in with the theme of being close to the land and celebrating this. Here, we have strong Tongan cultural wealth as well as influences from Western society which have become more available in the recent years.

Found image of Tongan ladies' traditional funeral attire as they kneel on tapa cloth to mourn

Next to Teunga lotu, we have Teunga tauanga'a (2000) by the same artist. A mourning outfit for Tongans consists of a funeral waist mat (ta'ovala faka'ahu) worn over black clothing. It is my favourite as the use of crochet is so simple yet elegant but remains firmly in the traditional Tongan formal style. The artist has added her own artistic originality to this outfit - the dress was purchased from the US and the artist added the crochet and beads herself. This special outfit was worn for Noma's church misinale at a time when she was still mourning the death of her biological mother Sela Ha'unga. Comparing it to the found image of ladies mourning, it is evident she has carried the most important features of the outfit through and added her own personal twist.

Teunga tauanga'a, by Noma 'Ofa-ki-nu'usila Talakia'atu

The pieces in this exhibition demonstrate a contemporary approach to traditional Tongan styles in an innovative way with available textiles. In my opinion they are beautiful and original artworks and I love that they are so strongly part of this unique Tongan culture.