item details
Overview
The knots in the strings of this to'o were probably used by Marquesas Islanders to help them recall people and events when reciting their genealogy and stories of their past.
The art of remembering
Some Pacific societies place special value on genealogies and histories that have been passed down orally. They use them to remember and reaffirm their relationships to other other people and places, and justify claims to leadership, land, culture and identities.These oral histories contain important information about the evolution and movements of different Pacific societies. However, unravelling this information can be difficult. Stories can alter as they are passed from person to person, and as a result of political and social change.
Acquisition history
This to'o is constructed from plaited coconut fibre and is part of the W.O.Oldman Collection purchased by the New Zealand Government in 1948.