Taʻovala
A taʻovala is an article of Tongan dress, a mat wrapped around the waist, worn by men and women, at all formal occasions, much like the tie for men in the Western culture. The ta'ovala is also commonly seen among the Fijian Lau Islands, and Wallis island, both regions once heavily influenced by Tongan hegemony and cultural diffusion.
Origins
According to a Tongan story, a group of Tongans once arrived by boat at the
Usage
Queen
The standard taʻovala, for formal and semi-formal wear, is a short mat coming halfway up the thighs. It is wrapped around the waist and tied with a kafa, a traditional rope often made of woven coconut
Taʻovala are part of the koloa, the handicraft goods made by the women. Every woman can do it. If girls do not learn it at home, it will be taught at school. More recently, however, some women specialise in the handicraft and sell their products on the market.
Materials
Taʻovala can be made from different materials, which can be either natural or synthetic:
- Strips of pandanus leaves, usually unpainted.
- Although sometimes black strips are used, the taʻovala is rarely wholly black.
- The strips range from coarse (15 mm or so as for funerals) to fine (a couple of millimeters, as the taʻovala loukeha, in which one is dressed to visit the king).
- Mats are always woven by hand, especially the fine mats. Making fine mats is labor-intensive, takes a long time to complete, and therefore they are expensive. The oldest and most valuable Tongan fine mats are preserved by the Tongan royal family to wear on formal occasions.
- Strips of hibiscus bast fiber, called fau.
- Same as the pandanus leaves, but not as coarse and as such, they can be plaited in a variety of patterns, which is faster and cheaper than weaving them by hand.
- Most of the civil servants' taʻovala are made in this way.
- Plastic, particularly material obtained from old flour bags.
- Old flour bags are preferred as an alternative source material that is quickly available – does not require lengthy preparation.
History
Before the advent of Western influence, the men wore a fringe skirt of native materials about 25 to 30 inches (60 to 80 cm) long. Women traditionally[1] wore two mats about a yard (metre) square each, made by weaving pandanus and hibiscus leaves together,[2] and belted around the waist.[3] Children were usually naked.[2][4] The Christian missionaries who began arriving in the late 19th century influenced the islanders' notions of modesty.
See also
- Lava-lava
References
- . Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- ^ a b "Introduction to Marshallese Culture". Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ^ Bliss, Edwin Munsell (1891). The Encyclopedia of Missions. Vol. II. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
- ^ "Marshallese Culture". Retrieved 16 August 2013.
- ʻI.F. Helu; Critical essays: Cultural perspectives from the Southseas; 1999