Tongan Tabua Necklace Art History Paper
* Tonga Islands
Necklace, ca. 1810-30
Whale teeth, Fiber
86.50.2 IUAM
31 in. cord; 5.25 in. longest tooth
Madison Turner
FINA-A351
December 3, 2012 * The object of art in which this paper analyzes is a necklace from the Tonga Islands, approximately from the period of 1810-1830. It is made of tabua- polished ivory whale’s teeth- that has been decorated with dark motifs and strung on a fiber cord. The approximate length of the necklace’s cord is 31 inches, with the longest tooth measuring roughly 5.25 inches. * The necklace contains twenty-four tabua pieces. Each piece is carved in the shape of a whales tooth, long and triangular, coming to a sharp point at the outer end. Each carved section of whale’s tooth differs in shape, color, and design pattern. The carved pieces of tooth are polished a light honey color, but vary in the patterns drawn on them. Small holes pierce the upper, broader end of the tooth pieces, where a fiber cord has been strung through. This forms the necklace shape and keeps the tooth sections together. Interestingly, the fiber cord appears to be new. It is a medium tan color that blends in with the honey color of the whale’s tooth pieces. * The part of the necklace that is worn closest to one’s neck, where the sennit cord holds the upper ends of the tabua pieces together, is bulky with little to no space between each section. However, because each piece forms a sharp point at the opposite end, the tabua pieces fan out away from one another creating space between them. Interestingly, although the pieces of whale’s tooth are carved in roughly the same shape, they are each strung on the fiber cord in different directions. This sporadic placement creates large gaps between some of the pieces, and leaves other pieces to be lying close together. There seems to be no particular pattern as to which they have been placed on the cord. * The aspect of this necklace that stands out as the most unique is the use of different
Necklace, ca. 1810-30
Whale teeth, Fiber
86.50.2 IUAM
31 in. cord; 5.25 in. longest tooth
Madison Turner
FINA-A351
December 3, 2012 * The object of art in which this paper analyzes is a necklace from the Tonga Islands, approximately from the period of 1810-1830. It is made of tabua- polished ivory whale’s teeth- that has been decorated with dark motifs and strung on a fiber cord. The approximate length of the necklace’s cord is 31 inches, with the longest tooth measuring roughly 5.25 inches. * The necklace contains twenty-four tabua pieces. Each piece is carved in the shape of a whales tooth, long and triangular, coming to a sharp point at the outer end. Each carved section of whale’s tooth differs in shape, color, and design pattern. The carved pieces of tooth are polished a light honey color, but vary in the patterns drawn on them. Small holes pierce the upper, broader end of the tooth pieces, where a fiber cord has been strung through. This forms the necklace shape and keeps the tooth sections together. Interestingly, the fiber cord appears to be new. It is a medium tan color that blends in with the honey color of the whale’s tooth pieces. * The part of the necklace that is worn closest to one’s neck, where the sennit cord holds the upper ends of the tabua pieces together, is bulky with little to no space between each section. However, because each piece forms a sharp point at the opposite end, the tabua pieces fan out away from one another creating space between them. Interestingly, although the pieces of whale’s tooth are carved in roughly the same shape, they are each strung on the fiber cord in different directions. This sporadic placement creates large gaps between some of the pieces, and leaves other pieces to be lying close together. There seems to be no particular pattern as to which they have been placed on the cord. * The aspect of this necklace that stands out as the most unique is the use of different
Bibliography: 1. Arno, Andrew. "Cobo" and "Tabua" in Fiji: Two Forms of Cultural Currency in an Economy of Sentiment." American Ethnologist 32, no. 1 (2005): 46-62. JSTOR Arts & Sciences II, EBSCOhost (accessed October 2, 2012). 2. Cartmail, Keith. "Adornments." The art of Tonga = Ko e ngaahi 'aati 'o Tonga. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, 1997. 94-99. Print. 3. Hooper, Steven. "Pacific Arts Association." Pacific Arts Association. http://www.pacificarts.org/node/430 (accessed October 1, 2012). This website article contains an article that Steven Hooper wrote on the importance of tabua 4. Hooper, Steven. Pacific Encounters: art & divinity in Polynesia 1760 - 1860; London: British Museum Press, 2006.