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Overview
This is a monomono - a type of machine sewn patchwork or appliqué bedcover or quilt made by Tongan women for use as koloa (a form of textile wealth).
Monomono: origins and history
The origins of monomono date to the late 1800s, when French Marist nuns and the wives of missionaries introduced the techniques for making crocheted and quilted bedspreads to Tongan women (Veys 2009:138). However, it is only since the 1970s that quilts acquired a cultural significance beyond that of utilitarian bed linen, when women started to make them as a form of grave decoration (Herda 1999:163-165).
In the early decades of the 21st century, Tongan families present monomono at a range of cultural occasions including title installations, birthdays, weddings and funerals. They usually accompany other higher ranking forms of koloa including ngatu (decorated tapa cloth) and kie (woven pandanus leaf mats).
Significance
This monomono pani is a significant addition to Te Papa’s collections as it was made by artist Ane Nanasi Pahulu in 2022. Ane is locally renowned for specifically making this pani (bun) style monomono (filled patchwork quilts) and has taken commissions from Tongans in the United States and Australia.
According to the exhibition catalogue, “Ane made her first monomono in the 1970s in Nuku'alofa Tonga when Aunty Muna Tofua'a distributed used bags of clothing to the women's group of the village. The clothing would be washed, dried and cut up into squares, to be used as the base material for the monomono.
Ane recalls the identification of a 'good bag from Aunty Muna as the bag that had the most skirts, as they were easy to cut and you could utilize the whole garment in the making. This first monomono was made alongside other women makers for an elder as part of toakase (a programme organised through her church that regularly visit and care for people in need within the community, commonly referred to as ADRA)[ Adventist Development and Relief Agency].
In Aotearoa, Ane continued to make both on her own and as part of collectives. Alongside her sisters, she was a member of the Tongan women's group Fefine Tonga in the early 1990s. They would regularly meet at the Newtown library to make fala and monomono koloa, as a means to help their families with kavenga (cultural obligations), and a way for the women to supplement their families' income.
Ane's monomono have been presented in the wider Tongan and Pasifika community at weddings, birthdays, church events and funerals. Making monomono has supported the aspirations of her extended family by helping pay for school fees, sports uniforms, and extra-curricular trips and activities.
Monomono can be translated in English to mean 'patch' or build'. They are special gifts that can help restore, maintain and build relationships between people. Whenever Ane gifts monomono she sees it as part of her service to those in need ('ahi ki he kau vaivai), but also to show appreciation and love for the person and family receiving the monomono. A maker of over 40 years' experience, the textile represents her life's commitment to the spirit of giving” (Yates 2022).
Fetu’u: Stars to Aotearoa
Exhibition curator Rachel Yates writes that this "...monomono pani includes the patriotic red and white of Tonga. It is a tribute to the Siasi 'Ahofitu Seven Day Adventist Church community whom supported the [artist's] family's arrival and integration in Aotearoa."
"Fetu’u: Stars to Aotearoa was made as a bespoke monomono for Toi Poneke exhibition and is reflective piece where Ane acknowledges their migration to Aotearoa and all the help they have had to get here and integrate. It talks about her faith and the Church community which has been integral to her life. This monomono can be split into two if needed, the rationale around the double monomono was for this one-off display and the link made to ngatu and koloa, the way in which a fuatanga can be hung like a drape. It kind of reflects the uniqueness of having a monomono show and the first time she has seen her monomono hung on a wall – almost like a renewed? Or different appreciation for monomono in a context that Ane and her monomono had not been in before.
This is the only double monomono Ane has made and the first time she used materials that had patterning. It was an opportunity to expand beyond what the budget dictates and she picked her favourite material for the piece".
Acquisition history
This monomono pani was made by Ane Pahulu for her exhibition "Making Monomono: Ane's Pani Style" that ran from 13 August - 9 September 2022 at the Toi Poneke Arts Centre in Wellington, New Zealand. At the conclusion of the exhibition the monomono was acquired by Te Papa.
References
Herda, P. S. (1999). The changing texture of textiles in Tonga. The Journal of the Polynesian Society, 108(2), 149-167;
Veys, F. W. (2009). Materialising the king: The royal funeral of King Tāufaāhau Tupou IV of Tonga. The Australian journal of anthropology, 20(1), 131-149;
Veys, F. W. (2017). Capturing the ‘Female Essence’? Textile Wealth in Tonga1. Sinuous Objects, 185.
Yates, Rachel & Pahulu, Ane. (2022). Making Monomono: Ane's Pani Style 13 August - 9 September.