Kato alu = woven ceremonial basket.
Material type:
ObjectManufacturer: [Tonga?] : [1917?]Description: 1 basket : 22 cm x 61 cm x 43 cmContent type: - three-dimensional form
- unmediated
- object
- Woven ceremonial basket [Parallel title]
- Queen Sālote's wedding basket [Other title]
| Item type | Current library | URL | Status | |
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Objects - crm
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TNU, Faculty of Education, Arts and Humanities On display | Link to resource | Not for loan |
Title devised by cataloguer.
Kato alu (woven ceremonial basket) is one of several types of baskets that were made in Tonga as early as the eighteenth century. Kato alu originates from the island of 'Eua, southeast of Tongatapu, the main group of islands of Tonga. Kato alu are significant Tongan cultural items of exchange and are often presented as gifts during weddings, funerals, and birthdays. They are also works of great artistry, skill, and ingenuity. The art of kato alu is primarily in construction. Each kato alu is woven from carefully prepared roots of the alu plant and the midribs of coconut leaves. The lengthy and complex production process involves several stages - plant harvesting, cooking, weaving, and decoration - before the basket is ceremonially exchanged. Kato alu continues to be made today; the art of kato alu is in the preparation process and the weaving technique.
The base is 42 cm, height 22 cm x length 61 cm x width 43 cm.
This black kato alu is rectangular, rising from a smaller base. The upper part is rounded. The long sides have five fine decorative two-sided triangles, one inside the other, and the short sides have three fine decorative two-sided triangles filled in with crosshatches. The pattern is similar to Lapita ceramic shard's Manulua ngatu pattern from Nukuleka, Tongatapu.
Ko e kato alu ko 'eni, na'e ngaue'aki ia 'i he ta'ane 'a e Ta'ahine Kuini kuo unga fonua. Ko e kato 'eni na'e kau 'i he ngaahi kato alu na'e ngaue'aki 'i he Ta'ane 'a e Ta'ahine Kuini pea mo e Tungi Mailefihi. Na'e foaki ia 'e he Ta'ahine Kuini, Kuini Saloto ma'a hono fakafotu ko Palonesi Fatafehi Lapaha Tuita na'e ta'ane mo Paloni Tuita. Ko e fotunga mo e fofonga 'o e kato 'oku makehe ia mei he ngaahi kato alu anga maheni. 'Oku fuo tapafa loloa, ko hono lalanga na'e filifili 'a e au tu'ovalevale 'o fai'aki 'a e lalanga ko 'eni, pea toe ma'opo'opo lelei 'aupito. Na'e teuteu'aki ia 'a e kafapulu tu'o valevale 'aupito kuo tata'o 'uli'uli. 'Oku lanu 'uli' uli 'a e kato alu. Ko e koloa ni 'oku tauhi ia ko e koloa 'o e fale 'o Palonesi Fatafehi Lapaha Tuita ma'ae Fuifuilupe pea mo e makapuna.
This kato alu was a wedding gift to Sālote and Vilami. Sālote Mafile‘o Pilolevu (1900-1965) and Vilami Tungi Mailefihi (1887-1941) were married in 1917. On 6 April 1918, Sālote became Queen Sālote Tupou III following her father's death the previous day.
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