Tonga

Tonga, the last Polynesian kingdom, sustains living traditions of barkcloth, dance and chiefly ceremony around its monarchy.

Textile & dress Music & dance Spirituality & rites Building & habitat

Knowledge in this place

Ngatu barkcloth

Ngatu barkcloth

Large sheets of decorated mulberry barkcloth made collectively by women for major life events.

Textile & dress

Lakalaka dance

Lakalaka dance

A sung speech-dance performed in rows that blends poetry, oratory and synchronized gesture, inscribed by UNESCO.

Faikava kava circle

Faikava kava circle

Evening gatherings to share kava, talk and song that sustain social and ceremonial life.

Spirituality & rites

Kalia voyaging canoe

Kalia voyaging canoe

A double-hulled ocean canoe used for long-distance voyaging and trade across the western Pacific.

Building & habitat