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Tonga
Overview
This is a tuluma from Tokelau, a type of wooden box used by fishermen to carry their gear and keep it dry. They are also used as storage containers in the home, and sometimes presented as gifts and souvenirs.
Construction
Tuluma come in many sizes from the small that can sit in an outstretched hand, to the very large requiring two hands to carry it. A distinctive feature of tuluma is a tightly fitting lid connected with a cord made from coconut fibre. The looped cord allows keeps the lid attached to the box should it be dropped or toppled while at sea.
Origins
One scholar suggests that the manufacture of tuluma in Tokelau may have originated with Hawaiian castaways wrecked off one of the atolls around 1830. Beautifully crafted boxes with fitting lids were seen in Hawaii from at least the late 1790s, so it is possible that Hawaiian sailors may have passed their skills on to their new hosts.
Acquisition
This tuluma once belonged to Phillip Samuel Solomon, a barrister in Fiji, who died in 1895. His estate was left to his son David Solomon and daughter-in-law Catherine Solomon. Their children Lola, Tiula, Judy, and Frank (former All Black in 1931) inherited a large collection of items which date from 1880-1930. This tuluma was purchased by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa from Dunbar Sloane auction house in 2006.