Monomono (quilt)

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 was made in Tonga in 1987. It is machine stitched with a 'pineapple' pattern of red and yellow rectangular patchwork strips with a plain white cotton border and backing. It was one of a number of items brought to Wellington, New Zealand for the first birthday of Margaret Latu.

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 Tonga. Sinuous Objects, 185.

Yates, Rachel & Pahulu, Ane. (2022). Making Monomono: Ane's Pani Style 13 August - 9 September.