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36-520: The Lakeba State denotes the first Lauan state in what is now Lau Province , Fiji . It was first controlled by Lakeba . They were then consolidated by the Cekena Dynasty by the end of the 17th century. This included the following southern Lau Islands: This article about a geographical location in Fiji is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lau Islands Administratively

72-399: A dabber with some brown paint (made from the koka tree ( Bischofia javanica )) over the sheet. This work is called tataʻi . Where they rub over a rib of the kupesi more paint will stick to that position while very little will stick elsewhere. In this way the basic pattern is put on the sheet. Once a part is done, they lift up the sheet and proceed to the next strip and so forth. Only when

108-432: A diagonal cross. Traditional dyes are usually black and rust-brown, although other colours are known. In former times the cloth was primarily used for clothing, but now cotton and other textiles have replaced it. The major problem with tapa clothing is that the tissue loses its strength when wet and falls apart. However, it was better than grass-skirts, which usually are either heavier and harder or easily blown apart, but on

144-400: A few millimeter thick) and made in the pattern which will be used. There are a handful of standard kupesi designs, like the 'pine road' (the road from the palace to the royal cemetery), or the 'shield of Tonga', or the 'lion' (the king), or the 'dove' (the king as ruler), and more abstract figures like the 'Manulua' (two birds). The tapa sheet is put over the drum and the women rub with force

180-571: A former student of Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa . The following describes the fabrication of Tapa cloth in Tonga, where it is still part of daily life. There may be small or large differences for other locations. In Tonga hiapo is the name given to the paper mulberry tree. It is not usually grown in whole plantations, but portions of a yam or other vegetable garden are often set aside for it. They are cut and brought home where

216-456: A village in Tonga as threshing does in Europe. In half an hour the piece will have changed in shape from a strip almost to a square. The edges are snipped with shells, and a large number of the pieces are drawn separately over a semi-cylindrical wooden stamp, on which the pattern, worked in coco-fibre, is stretched and smeared with a fluid at once adhesive and colouring. On each a second and third layer

252-559: Is a barkcloth made in the islands of the Pacific Ocean , primarily in Tonga , Samoa and Fiji , but as far afield as Niue , Cook Islands , Futuna , Solomon Islands , Java , New Zealand , Vanuatu , Papua New Guinea and Hawaii (where it is called kapa ). In French Polynesia it has nearly disappeared, except for some villages in the Marquesas . The word tapa is from Tahiti and

288-412: Is called sala . Often the women of a whole village work together on a huge sheet of tapa. A donation is made to the church or their chief at an important occasion. Such sheets are about 3 m (9.8 ft) wide and 15 or 30 m (49 or 98 ft), or sometimes even 60 m (200 ft) long. The 15 meter pieces are called launima (meaning five-sheet, because the sheet is five squares), and

324-606: Is called siapo , and in Niue it is hiapo . In Hawaiʻi, it is known as kapa . In Rotuma , a Polynesian island part of Fiji , it is called ʻuha and in other Fijian islands it is called masi . In the Pitcairn islands it was called ' ahu , and in New Zealand as aute . It is also known as tapia. All these words give some clue to the origin. Masi could mean the (bark of the) dye-fig ( Ficus tinctoria ) , endemic to Oceania, and probably

360-399: Is customary that during the paint process lines are drawn on the ngatu along the width every 45 cm (18 in) or more. The kupesi too are made to the size that they will fit in the divisions thus made. Such a division is known as langanga and they are numbered (on the blank tapa ) from one to as many as needed for the whole length. When a smaller piece of ngatu is needed, the sheet

396-529: Is often found hung on walls as decoration. In Tonga a family is considered poor, no matter how much money they have, if they do not have any tapa in stock at home to donate at life events like marriages, funerals and so forth. If the tapa was donated to them by a chief or even the royal family, it is more valuable. It has been used in ceremonial masks in Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands (Mangian masks). It

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432-452: Is placed; and the piece, three layers thick, is coloured more strongly in the parts which are thrown into relief by the inequalities of the bed. Others are annexed to it both at the side and the end, until pieces a yard wide, and 20 to 25 yards long, are produced. The fetaʻaki is almost always painted. It then becomes ngatu , the Tongan word for the final product. The painting is done over

468-524: The Cook Islands , where Captain Cook was the first European to collect it and introduce it to the rest of the world. The cloth is also known by a number of local names, although the term tapa is international and understood throughout the islands that use the cloth. In Tonga, the same cloth is known as ngatu , and here it is of great social importance to the islanders, often being given as gifts. In Samoa, it

504-399: The 1770s, the primary use of tapa cloth was to create a soft, white cloth used for fillets or in ear piercings by high status men, however barkcloth textiles disappeared from use in the early 19th Century, coinciding with the tree's disappearance from New Zealand. Experimental archaeology on reviving the techniques of this production were pioneered in the 2010s by Māori artist Nikau Hindin,

540-509: The 1850s, united them to the Lau Province . The Moala Islands had closer affiliation with Bau Island and Lomaiviti than with Lau, but Ma'afu & Tui Nayau ’s conquest united them with the Lau Islands. They have remained administratively a part of the Lau Province ever since. Since they lie between Melanesian Fiji and Polynesian Tonga , the Lau Islands are a meeting point of

576-434: The 30 m pieces are called lautefuhi . Ratzel (1896) described the fabrication of tapa as follows: A circular cut is made with a shell in the bark above the root of the tree; the tree is broken off, and in a few days, when the stem is half-dry, the bark and bast are separated from it. The bast is then cleaned and macerated in water, after which it is beaten with the ribbed club on a wooden block. This beating enlivens

612-568: The Lau Islands) and the founding father of modern Fiji who was Prime Minister for most of the period between 1967 and 1992, and President from 1993 to 2000. Other noted Lauans include Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna (1898-1958), who forged embryonic constitutional institutions for Fiji in the years that preceded independence. Other notable Lauans include: 17°50′S 178°40′E  /  17.833°S 178.667°E  / -17.833; 178.667 Masi (Fiji) Tapa cloth (or simply tapa )

648-641: The Lau Provincial Council. Many Lauans have Tongan ancestors and some Tongans have Lauan ancestors; Tonga's Lands Minister is named after Enele Ma'afu , the Tongan Prince who originally claimed parts of Lau for Tonga. Historically, the Minerva Reefs have been part of the fishing grounds belonging to the people of Ono-i-Lau , an island in the Lau Group. Just off the island of Vanua Balavu at Lomaloma

684-447: The bark is beaten on a wooden tutua anvil using wooden mallets called ike . In the beating the bark is made thinner and spread out to a width of about 25 cm (9.8 in). This phase of the work is called tutu (or tutua ). The mallets are flat on one side and have coarse and fine grooves on the other sides. First the coarse sides are used and, towards the end of the work, the flat side ( tā-tuʻa ). The continuous "thonk" beats of

720-544: The centre of the game of Cricket in Fiji. Cricket is the most popular team sport in Lau, unlike the rest of the country where Rugby and Association Football are preferred. The national team is invariably dominated by Lauan players. The Lau Islands' most famous son is the late Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara (1920-2004), the Tui Lau , Tui Nayau , Sau ni Vanua (hereditary Paramount Chief of

756-406: The first task is to strip the bark from the trees. The strips are about hand wide and person long. The wood left-over is named mokofute . The bark consists of two layers; the outer bark is scraped or split off from the inner bark. This work is called haʻalo . The outer bark is discarded; the inner bark, named tutu or loututu , is left-over. It is dried in the sun before being soaked. After this,

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792-430: The glueing process became common to make large sheets (see below) only narrow strips were produced. Tapa can be decorated by rubbing, stamping, stencilling, smoking (Fijian: masi kuvui , "smoked barkcloth") or dyeing. The patterns of Tongan, Samoan, and Fijian tapa usually form a grid of squares, each of which contains geometric patterns with repeated motifs such as fish and plants, for example four stylised leaves forming

828-567: The help of Tui Nayau ’s army, conquered the region and established a unified administration. Tui Nayau then bestowed the title Tui Lau , or King of Lau, to Ma’afu, promulgated a constitution and encouraged the establishment of Christian missions. The first missionaries had arrived at Lakeba in 1830, but had been expelled. The Tui Nayau , who had been the nominal overlord of the Lau Islands, became subject to Ma'afu. The Tui Nayau and Tui Lau titles came into personal union in 1969. Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara , who had already been bestowed

864-680: The islands belong to Lau Province . The British explorer James Cook reached Vatoa in 1774. By the time of the discovery of the Ono Group in 1820, the Lau archipelago was the most mapped area of Fiji. Political unity came late to the Lau Islands. Historically, they comprised three territories: the Northern Lau Islands, the Southern Lau Islands, and the Moala Islands . Around 1855, the renegade Tongan prince Enele Ma'afu with

900-478: The low coral atolls where the mulberry does not grow, people had no choice. It is also labour-intensive to manufacture. Tapa cloth was made by both the men and women in ancient times. An example is the Hawaiian men, who also made their own weapons. Nowadays tapa is often worn on formal occasions such as weddings. Another use is as a blanket at night or for room dividers. It is highly prized for its decorative value and

936-411: The one originally used to make tapa. Somewhere in history, during the voyages of migration the hiapo or siapo was introduced from Southeast Asia , the paper mulberry tree ( Broussonetia papyrifera ). The bark of this tree is much better to use, and put the use of the dye-fig into oblivion. Only its name remained in Fiji. Tapa finally has the meaning of border or strip. It seems likely that before

972-576: The overlordship of Taveuni and paid tribute to the Tui Cakau (Paramount Chief of Cakaudrove ). In 1855, however, Ma'afu & Tui Nayau gained sovereignty over Northern Lau, establishing Lomaloma , on Vanua Balavu , as Ma”afu’s capital . The Southern Lau Islands extended from Ono-i-Lau , in the far south, to as far north as Cicia . They were the traditional chiefdom of the Tui Nayau , but with proper consultation between Ma'afu & Tui Nayau in

1008-449: The square-shaped ends characterizing most houses elsewhere in Fiji, Lauan houses tend to be rounded, following the Tongan practice. In early July 2014, Tonga's Lands Minister, Lord Maʻafu Tukuiʻaulahi , revealed a proposal for Tonga to give the disputed Minerva Reefs to Fiji in exchange for the Lau Group. At the time that news of the proposal first broke, it had not yet been discussed with

1044-424: The tapa mallet is a normal sound in Tongan villages. If several women work together they can make a concert out of it. In that case there might be one who tukipotu , beats the end of the tutua to set the rhythm. When the strips are thin enough, several are taken and beaten together into a large sheet. Some starch from the kumala , or manioke may be rubbed on places which are unwilling to stick. This part of

1080-563: The title of Tui Lau in 1963 by the Vuanirewa Clan on the approval of his father Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba II (the reigning Tui Nayau during that time), was also installed as Tui Nayau following the death of Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba II in 1966. The title Tui Lau was left vacant from his uncle, Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna , in 1958 as referenced in Mara, The Pacific Way Paper. The Northern Lau Islands, which extended as far south as Tuvuca , were under

1116-524: The two cultural spheres. Lauan villages remain very traditional, and the islands' inhabitants are renowned for their wood carving and masi paintings. Lakeba especially was a traditional meeting place between Tongans and Fijians. The south-east trade winds allowed sailors to travel from Tonga to Fiji, but much harder to return. The Lau Island culture became more Fijian rather than Polynesian beginning around 500 BC. However, Tongan influence can still be found in names, language, food, and architecture. Unlike

Lakeba State - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-498: The whole length, but only the central 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) in the width direction. On both sides there is an unpainted border of about 20 cm (7.9 in) wide, which is called the tapa (in Tonga). To paint it, the sheets are put over a huge wooden drum covered with stencils or kupesi ( upeti in Samoa). These stencils are made from coconut front midribs (or any other sticks of

1188-431: The whole sheet has been preprocessed, it will be spread out on the ground and with a brush (made from Pandanus seeds). The women will accentuate the faintly visible marks with some more generous paint, this time made from the tongo , the mangrove ( Rhizophora mangle ) . Both koka and tongo paint are always brown, but the latter is much darker. Black is not used in Tonga, although it is characteristic for Fiji. It

1224-417: The work is called ʻopoʻopo , the glue is called tou and the resulting sheet of tapa is called fetaʻaki . It then consists of two layers of strips in perpendicular direction, the upper one called lauʻolunga and the lower one laulalo . A knife or sharp shell, named mutu , is used to trim the edges, and the pieces fallen off in this process are called papanaki . When the white fetaʻaki is smoked brown, it

1260-474: Was the Yanuyanu Island Resort, built to encourage tourism in what has been a less accessible area of Fiji, but the small resort failed almost immediately and has been abandoned since the year 2000. An airstrip is located off Malaka village and a port is also located on Vanua Balavu, at Lomaloma . There are guest houses on Vanua Balavu and on Lakeba , the other principal island. The Lau Islands are

1296-527: Was used to wrap sacred objects, e.g., "God staffs" in the Cook Islands. In New Zealand, presumably early Māori settlers created clothing from the Broussonetia papyrifera ( aute ) trees that were brought to the islands to be cultivated, however no archaeological evidence of this exists. The New Zealand climate was not suited to cultivate large amounts of tapa cloth, so early Māori adopted the use of harakeke ( Phormium tenax , or New Zealand flax) instead. By

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