Tapua = chief's ceremonial whale tooth collar.
Chief's ceremonial whale tooth collar Maka's "chief of the library" collar ;-)
- 1 item : 6 cm x 84 cm x 3 cm
Title devised by cataloguer. Originally taken from the lower jaw of sperm whales found stranded on southern beaches. Whale strandings are relatively rare in Tonga, making whale teeth highly valued. In Pacific Island societies, some objects - such as tapau - have a cultural value that far outweighs their market value. Tongans consider tapua to be chiefly items. which were worn by chiefs and other individuals of high status. Ceremonial tapua have holes drilled through the tip and the butt, and kafa (braided coconut husk fibre cord) is attached. Tapua are not a uniquely Tongan object, whale teeth are also important in other societies. Whale teeth were shaped into necklaces and other ornaments in many parts of the Pacific, including Samoa, Tahiti, Hawai'i, and the Marquesas Islands. Kafa height 3 cm x length 68 cm x width 3 cm. Tooth height 6 cm x length 16 cm x width 3 cm. This tapua is made from kafa braided into a four-link chain with a white cowrie shell and whale's tooth suspended near the center. The kafa near the cowry shell and whale's tooth is finished beautifully.
Talanoa
This tapua was a gift to the Honourable Tuita, husband of Princess Pilolevu Tuita from Fiji.
Clunie, Fergus. "Tapua: 'Polished ivory shrines' of Tongan gods." The Journal of the Polynesian Society, v.122:iss.2 (2013)