Tonga

Ngatu is the Tonga name for tapa cloth, made and used through out the Kingdom of Tonga. It is made from the beaten bark of the Paper Mulberry tree which is stripped from the tree, hung in the sun to dry, and soaked in water overnight before it is ready to be beaten. Each "tutu", as the bark is now called, is beaten upon a "tutua", a long, wooden anvil with a wooden mallet of ironwood called an "ike". After the pieces are beaten together for the appropriate size, the design process is begun with the use of a "kupesi" board. This board is marked with traditional designs. These designs are pressed onto the ngatu by smaller pieces of ngatu cloth soaked in a dye made from the koka tree. The designs are repeated in horizontal bands for the entire length of the cloth, and left in the sun to dry. The women the finish painting the traditional patterns using natural dyes of different shades of black and brown.

The sound of wooden mallets beating out lengths of ngatu is heard from early morning until sunset, making it one of the most familiar sounds in Tonga. Not only is the process of ngatu making important to carry on the tradditions of the Tongan people but it is also a great source of news and information. Through the groups of women who work-side-by-side all day in the ngatu houses, the news is spread. As they beat, they never stop swapping tales of days gone by as well as stories from the present.

The Tapa cloth is always handmade and remains an important component in the social life of the Kingdom. For such events as a wedding. a royal occasion, or a funeral, large amounts of this hand­made cloth are necessary as gifts. Although, the ngatu is most prizes when beaten into long lengths of cloth, there are other types of uses such as mats, lining for baskets and beautiful wall hangings.

December 2000 - Cyprus