Tongan ngatu display in France [1]
Sunday, July 12, 2009 - 19:46. Updated on Wednesday, July 15, 2015 - 10:20.
Tongan ngatu is part of an impressive display of Pacific barkcloth in a new exhibition that opened recently in Cahors, France.
The Musee de Cahors Henri-Martin is presenting the display called "TAPA Etoffes cosmiques d'Oceanie" from 7 June until 18 November.
"Never before in Europe did an exhibition bring together such a wealth of barkcloth pieces nor render their true value as 'precious objects'," said Fanny Wonu Veys, a curator.
The exhibition curated by Laurent Guillaut, Marie-Claire Bataille-Benguigui and Fanny Wonu Veys, is presenting Pacific barkcloth on loan from other museums in France. The items originate from all over the Pacific, including Papua New Guinea, New Britain, Santa-Cruz, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, 'Uvea, Futuna, Marquesas, Society Islands (Tahiti) and Hawaii.
"The largest pieces are the three Tongan ngatu on display. The full width is up to 4 meters wide and four langanga long. When visitors come into the room with those large ngatu, they are very impressed," said Wonu.
"For the Tongan pieces on display the kupesi include 'tokelau feletoa', 'fetu'u fuka', 'hala paini', 'manulua', 'pangai kafa' with 'fo'i hea'.
"There is a room where the manufacture of barkcloth is displayed. So beaters, anvils and kupesi are on display accompanied by my photographs of barkcloth manufacture in Tonga in 2003 and 2006." she said.
"Including beaters there are about 70 pieces on display - all testify to the exceptional mastery of the art of making barkcloth."
There are some historic pieces on display in the 12 exhibition rooms including the tiputa (tunic) worn by the King of Bora Bora (Society Islands) There are also pieces from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
"There is a Fiji Times on display which dates to October 1888 and the oldest piece on display is from Tahiti and dates to the beginning of the 19th century. It is a plain white/yellow barkcloth with fern designs printed in red. There is also a Hawaiian pink piece, which dates to before 1860," said Wonu.
A Greek artist named Maria Xenouli, worked with some Tongan feta'aki to create some contemporary art work, which is also on display.
The exhibition will run until 18 November this year.