Ko e Sila ʻo Tonga Tapa
A one-piece tapa cloth depicting Ko e Sila ‘o Tonga, the national seal of the kingdom of Tonga. This Polynesian nation consists of 171 islands, spanning 270,000 square miles of the Western Pacific. In the centuries before the first contact with Europeans, Tonga was a great sea power, conquering its neighbors Fiji and Samoa, and even parts of what is now French Polynesia. Unique among the Pacific island nations, Tonga has never been colonized by a foreign power, although it agreed to be a British “protected state” for most of the 20th century, and remains a member of the Commonwealth.
The Ko e Sila ʻo Tonga was designed in 1875, during the reign of Tāufaʻāhau (who united the islands of Tonga in 1845). The stars in the upper left represent Tonga’s three main island groups: Tongatapu, Ha’apai and Vava’u. The crown in the upper right represents the kingdom. The three crossed swords in the lower right symbolize the historical lineages from which the royal family claims descent. The dove in the lower left represents Christianity, peace, and unity. At the bottom is the motto: Koe Otua Mo Tonga Ko Hoku Tofi’a (God and Tonga are my inheritance). Notice how the original drawings persist behind the painting.
Tonga has been slowly moving away from absolute monarchy. In 2010, the country became a semi-constitutional monarchy, allowing at least partial representative elections. It can’t come soon enough, since the royal family has floated some very questionable ideas in recent years (such as offering Tonga as a repository for other countries’ nuclear waste). However, the idea of the monarchy as a unifying force remains popular with Tongans. This Mid-20th century tapa is a symbol of that enthusiasm. 44" x 40"
A one-piece tapa cloth depicting Ko e Sila ‘o Tonga, the national seal of the kingdom of Tonga. This Polynesian nation consists of 171 islands, spanning 270,000 square miles of the Western Pacific. In the centuries before the first contact with Europeans, Tonga was a great sea power, conquering its neighbors Fiji and Samoa, and even parts of what is now French Polynesia. Unique among the Pacific island nations, Tonga has never been colonized by a foreign power, although it agreed to be a British “protected state” for most of the 20th century, and remains a member of the Commonwealth.
The Ko e Sila ʻo Tonga was designed in 1875, during the reign of Tāufaʻāhau (who united the islands of Tonga in 1845). The stars in the upper left represent Tonga’s three main island groups: Tongatapu, Ha’apai and Vava’u. The crown in the upper right represents the kingdom. The three crossed swords in the lower right symbolize the historical lineages from which the royal family claims descent. The dove in the lower left represents Christianity, peace, and unity. At the bottom is the motto: Koe Otua Mo Tonga Ko Hoku Tofi’a (God and Tonga are my inheritance). Notice how the original drawings persist behind the painting.
Tonga has been slowly moving away from absolute monarchy. In 2010, the country became a semi-constitutional monarchy, allowing at least partial representative elections. It can’t come soon enough, since the royal family has floated some very questionable ideas in recent years (such as offering Tonga as a repository for other countries’ nuclear waste). However, the idea of the monarchy as a unifying force remains popular with Tongans. This Mid-20th century tapa is a symbol of that enthusiasm. 44" x 40"
A one-piece tapa cloth depicting Ko e Sila ‘o Tonga, the national seal of the kingdom of Tonga. This Polynesian nation consists of 171 islands, spanning 270,000 square miles of the Western Pacific. In the centuries before the first contact with Europeans, Tonga was a great sea power, conquering its neighbors Fiji and Samoa, and even parts of what is now French Polynesia. Unique among the Pacific island nations, Tonga has never been colonized by a foreign power, although it agreed to be a British “protected state” for most of the 20th century, and remains a member of the Commonwealth.
The Ko e Sila ʻo Tonga was designed in 1875, during the reign of Tāufaʻāhau (who united the islands of Tonga in 1845). The stars in the upper left represent Tonga’s three main island groups: Tongatapu, Ha’apai and Vava’u. The crown in the upper right represents the kingdom. The three crossed swords in the lower right symbolize the historical lineages from which the royal family claims descent. The dove in the lower left represents Christianity, peace, and unity. At the bottom is the motto: Koe Otua Mo Tonga Ko Hoku Tofi’a (God and Tonga are my inheritance). Notice how the original drawings persist behind the painting.
Tonga has been slowly moving away from absolute monarchy. In 2010, the country became a semi-constitutional monarchy, allowing at least partial representative elections. It can’t come soon enough, since the royal family has floated some very questionable ideas in recent years (such as offering Tonga as a repository for other countries’ nuclear waste). However, the idea of the monarchy as a unifying force remains popular with Tongans. This Mid-20th century tapa is a symbol of that enthusiasm. 44" x 40"