Description (Physical description)
Barkcloth decorated with freehand painted black designs against a red-brown background. Motifs include symetricl curvilinear horizontal and diagonal fields and a bird with outstretched wings, probably the falcon or eagle. A natural boarder runs along one side with numbers '31' and '32', indicating the
Event Date 25/9/2018
Author: rachel hand

Context (CMS Context)
Given to Professor Snowden, School of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University, Tokyo by an English friend who gave it to the donor in 1971.

Numbers written on the tapa indicate its length or langanga (1 langanga usually measures 45 to 60 centimetres). A ngatu for a small gift might be 8 langanga, while one presented on an important occasion could be 50 langanga like this one or even more.

Ngatu are still considered to be significant gifts in any ceremony in Tonga, and are also regarded as valuable by Tongans living overseas. Tonga and Fiji are still important centres of modern tapa manufacture, and very large pieces continue to be made for ceremonial purposes.
Event Date 25/9/2018
Author: rachel hand