Ngatu (Tongan tapa) titled 'Fakaneifua'

This ngatu (Tongan tapa) was made by Sulieti Fieme’a Burrows (Tonga – Falevai, Vava'u) as a part of the 'Ahu: Ngā wairua o Hina project.

Making for the future

This ngatu titled Fakaneifua, represents Sulieti's wishes for the future. Featuring the Kalou pattern, Fakaneifua refers to the fragrant perfume scents fruit. It symbolises the dessert served at celebrations or special occasions like birthdays, weddings, or Father's Day. At these functions, after dinner, fakaneifua is served. While associated with food it is also used metaphorically within Tongan culture. In this context, it represents the hunger, nourishment and sweetness of the arts passed on to future generations.

"There's a fruit tree, and a beautiful perfume coming out from it. When someone important would come, like a royal or a princess we cut the fruit and put it in the water. It makes a kahoa, we call it fakaneifua."

Sulieti Fieme’a Burrows, 2023

Background

In 2021, with the Te Papa Foundation’s support, Te Papa acquired a rare book of tapa cloth samples, one of many assembled by Alexander Shaw in 1787. The samples were cut from larger pieces of tapa collected on Captain Cook’s voyages to the Pacific (1768, 1772, 1776) and represent tapa-making practices from various islands including Hawai‘i, Tahiti and Tonga. While the books contain only fragments of much larger creations, they highlight the variety of textures and artistry attained through the practices, knowledge, and skills of Pacific peoples.

Held in Tahiti in 2023, 'Ahu: Ngā Wairua o Hina brought tapa makers of Tongan, Sāmoan, Niuean, Fijian, Hawaiian, Tahitian, Pitcairn-Norfolk Island, and Māori descent. Over five days this group worked together to re-establish their living relationships to the cloth held within the Alexander Shaw book. Through a process of wānanga this group of makers created two tapa bundles, incorporating the ideas of past, present, and future. Today, one of the bundles resides with Te Papa and the other with Te Fare Iamanaha-Musée de Tahiti et des Îles.