As part of celebrating Tongan Language Week: Uike Kātonga’i ‘o e Lea Faka-Tonga (1-8 September) the Pacific Cultures team are highlighting some of the Tongan items in Te Papa’s collection. This is the fourth blog in our series. Tongan ngatu also known as tapa cloth is an important part of Tongan art and tradition. TeRead more
Tonga’s Queen Sālote (1900–65) contributed greatly to the preservation and creative use of the Tongan language. Queen Sālote was a celebrated writer of poetry and song. She composed over one hundred songs, lullabies, laments, and dances. Queen Sālote has a connection with New Zealand that began in 1909 when sheRead more
This week is Tongan Language Week – Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e Lea Faka-Tonga. This is the second blog post for this week where the Pacific Cultures team highlight collection items that relate to Tongan language and culture. This is a kumete, a wooden bowl used in Tongan communities for the preparationRead more
This week is Tongan Language Week – Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e Lea Faka-Tonga. Over the next five days the Pacific Cultures team will be blogging about collection items from Tonga that relate to Tongan language and culture. The week is promoted by the Aotearoa Tongan Teachers Association in partnership with theRead more
