Tauvae (anklet)

This tauvae (anklet) is made from a twisted band of cotton material and bottle tops from Sprite®, Fanta®, and Coca-Cola® soft drink bottles. In Samoa, tauvae are often made from leaves or seeds and worn for special dance performances. They shake and rustle with every step and highlight the leg movements during a dance.

Contemporary version

This bottle top version of a tauvae is probably a contemporary replacement for an older type made from large brown and flat elliptical seeds known as tupe (Entada scandens). The seeds come from the pods of a climbing plant called fue`afa and are also used in games and hung on necklaces. The dangling hollow seeds would rattle as the dancer moved around. Occasionally this type of anklet can still be found, but is tied together with coconut fibre cord or strips of imported cloth.

Significance

This bottle top tauvae is one of a pair purchased at the markets in Apia in 1996. It is an example of how the material culture of Samoa continues to incorporate new materials from the wider world, especially when local materials become rare or too time consuming to procure and prepare.