Te kafaga

human history

Te kafaga. Climbing aid. This is a model or demonstration version of a kafaga, or coconut tree climbing aid. It consists of a short wooden platform carved from kanava (Cordia subcordata) wood, then finished. It has a cord of kafa (3-ply coconut sennit), which is long and has been looped, and which provides assistance for feet and hands to be secured as the wearer ascends the tree. Of the three loops, the middle one is termed kafaga vae, while the smaller loops are termed kafaga lima.

In a Tuvaluan context, coconut trees are regularly maintained, pruned and cultivated in a programme of sustainable practice: pogapoga (picking the coconuts) and velevele (cleaning, pruning the trees). Younger men would likely be the ones to climb the tree using a kafaga, at the direction of toeaina (male elders). As well as pogapoga, the young men may also climb trees in order to harvest sua kaleve (coconut sap, toddy). In the southern Tuvaluan islands, the kafaga is also known as a teke kake.

Accession number: 1987.78 Last Update: 10 Sept 2026
Other Name

Loo (Tuvaluan)

Te loo (Tuvaluan)

Te teke kake (Tuvaluan)

Climbing aid (English)

Place
Nanumea/Tuvalu
Accession Number

1987.78

Accession Date

28 Apr 1987

Other Id

52441 (ethnology)

Department

Pacific

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