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Overview
This ngatu is part of a teunga tau'olunga (Tongan dance costume) worn by Mele Ha'unga. The ngatu is worn like a wrap around dress, and it covers the torso to just below the knees. The arms and legs of the dancer are typically bare.
Project 83: Small things matter
Mele participated in the 2017 co-collecting initiative Pikipiki hama kae vaevae manava: joining our vaka to share our breath or life stories. The project worked with members of the Tongan community in Tamaki Auckland, Mele participated as part of a Year 13 Tongan language class from Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate in Otara. We held a two-day training workshop with the class that aimed to demonstrate how collections and the museum can be meaningful spaces where their lives and experiences are valued, including contemporary teenage life.
As part of the sessions we encouraged the students to come up with a project name for this youth-focussed collecting that they would be undertaking - Project 83: Small things matter.
This was an opportunity to represent themselves and counter the stereotypical representations of their home town of Otara. The number '83' represents their school 'Hilary Collegiate' taken from the position of the letters 'H' and 'C' in the alphabet. The name reflects the experiences and values they share as 'Proud Otarians'. The second half of the title is 'small things matter' inspired by the story of a small shell in our collections. This tag line represents their collective agreement as a class to commit to this opportunity, and share what matters to them, regardless of how insignificant they may appear to others.
Significance:
This teunga tau'olunga features 14 components and has been worn by Mele when performing the tau'olunga dance. The costume is representative of the social role that Mele plays in her community as a young Tongan woman. Mele has been dancing her whole life and the majority of her costumes have been handmade by her mother.
By participating in dance at various events, Mele does so on behalf of her family and the collective that she is a part of.
Tongan dance is a central feature of Tongan events with particular dances like that of the tau'olunga reserved for young women.