The pa (pearl shell lure pendant) is a very special item in the Tokelau culture. The people of Tokelau survive mainly on fish and the pa is symbolic of, and sometimes is literally, the shank of a fishing lure that men use to feed and care for their family and community. The pearl shells have a range of different colours and lustre which are indicated by the different names for pa, such as laumilo (dark all over), pahina (whitish colour), hikuuli (dark tail), fulufakalupe (colour of pigeon feathers), lanufakanuanua (rainbow coloured) and lanufakapugapuga (colour of non-branching coral).

Pa are worn at many events but mainly at weddings. When a girl gets married her father will give her a pa as sign of respect and honour, and so passes on a means of taking care of his daughter to his son-in-law who can use the pa to fish. A girl could be given more than 100 pa at her wedding as they are more significant than money. There is no other island in the Pacific that practices this tradition, therefore, if a person is seen wearing a pa others will know that the person is Tokelauan or has Tokelauan connections.

Written by Luti Mekisa Fakaalofa