Description: Selu. Comb. This particular type of comb may also be referred to as selu tuiga. This comb is of Samoa and made for the purposes of adorning the hair, primarily for female but can also be worn by male. It is made up of three components: tuāniu (coconut leaflet midrib), wire and glass beads. It is vertical in nature and its framework is made entirely from dried brown tuāniu. The base area shows a row of twenty-five tuāniu, two of which are broken at basal end. These are lined neatly in a flared manner and used as selu teeth for hair insertion. Across the teeth near the base is a section of wire lashings with attachments of multi-coloured glass beads. Further up in the mid-section of selu, numerous multi-coloured glass beads are threaded into loops through the tuāniu, up the side and across the body, some of which are showing to be loose. The upper or crowning area of the selu shows the truncation of most tuāniu leaving only three sets of tuāniu in the centre and on both sides. Each sets are intermittently lashed securely by wire. These sets of tuāniu join at the top and are tied together, producing a pinnacle as the crowning of the selu.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1929.303Accession Date: 1929Description: Selu. Comb. This particular type of comb may also be referred to as selu tuiga. This comb is of Samoa and made for the purposes of adorning the hair, primarily for female but…

Description: 'Ie sina. Skirt; precious mat. This is a hand woven 'ie sina made of fau (hibiscus fibre). The 'ie sina is a grey colour with darker shades around the edges. It is rectangular in shape when laid flat. The fau has been refined by scraping, water treatments and exposure. Each fibre has been organized carefully to be woven into its mat-like state. The fibres used as tag-like attachments in order to create the shaggy-like surface. The 'ie sina has a fibrous texture. 'Ie sina are very rare and were worn by women of high rank upon their wedding ceremony.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1950.128Accession Date: 04 Jul 1950Description: 'Ie sina. Skirt; precious mat. This is a hand woven 'ie sina made of fau (hibiscus fibre). The 'ie sina is a grey colour with darker shades around the edges. It is rectangular…

Description: 'ūla vavae. Neck ornament. 'Ula is a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family, friends and visitors. This 'ula is made up of vavae (kapok) seeds. These are black in colour with a thin and fragile shell exterior. They have been perforated on two sides and strung on a brown string. This 'ula is broken in several area, resulting in twelve parts of this 'ula, plus a number of loose vavae.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1986.241Accession Date: 20 Oct 1986Description: 'ūla vavae. Neck ornament. 'Ula is a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family,…

Description: 'Ula sisi. Neck ornament. 'Ula is a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family, friends and visitors. This 'ula sisi is made up of pule (cowry shells), gastropod shells and string. The sisi are mostly off-white in colour with a gloss-like surface. The colour of the gastropod shells are of many shades of brown. The shells are threaded together by a brown woollen string. 'Ula sisi are worn on special occasions, as part of dance attire and offered as gifts to family, friends and visitors.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1986.241Accession Date: 20 Oct 1986Description: 'Ula sisi. Neck ornament. 'Ula is a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family,…

Description: 'Ula. Neck ornament. 'Ula is a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family, friends and visitors. This 'ula is made up of sanasana (job's tears plant), pule (gastropod shell) and string. The sanasana are of various shades of off-white whereas the pule are sandy brown in colour. Using a sharp implement, the sanasana are perforated near the lip of each pule, whereas the sanasana naturally formed perforations at either end of the seed. These allow for the pule and sanasana to be strung on an off-white string. For every stringed pule, three sanasana seeds are strung on. This 'ula is not joined together and a pule shell has parted from the 'ula.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1986.241Accession Date: 20 Oct 1986Description: 'Ula. Neck ornament. 'Ula is a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family,…

Description: 'Ula sisi. Neck ornament. 'Ula is a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family, friends and visitors. This is made up of sisi (shell), disc coral and string. The sisi are yellow in colour and are perforated at the lip to be strung on a brown string. The 'ula has intervals of small coral discs which are off-white in colour.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1986.241Accession Date: 20 Oct 1986Description: 'Ula sisi. Neck ornament. 'Ula is a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family,…

Description: 'Ula sisi. Neck ornament. 'Ula is a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family, friends and visitors. This 'ula sisi is made up entirely of yellow gastropod shells. The shells are perforated near the lip, using a sharp implement, which are then threaded onto a dark brown, fibrous string to form the 'ula sisi. Both ends of the 'ula is open-ended, whereas the 'ula has broken in different parts and tied together. This 'ula is like the kahoa hihi (yellow snail shell garland) of Niue.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1986.241Accession Date: 20 Oct 1986Description: 'Ula sisi. Neck ornament. 'Ula is a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family,…

Description: 'Ula sisi. Neck ornament. 'Ula is a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family, friends and visitors. This is made up of sisi (shell), disc coral and string. The sisi are yellow in colour and are perforated at the lip to be strung on a brown string. The 'ula has intervals of small coral discs which are off-white in colour.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1986.241Accession Date: 20 Oct 1986Description: 'Ula sisi. Neck ornament. 'Ula is a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family,…

Description: 'Ula sisi. Neck ornament. 'Ula is a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family, friends and visitors. This 'ula sisi is made up entirely of yellow gastropod shells and fibrous string. The shells are perforated near the lip, using a sharp implement, which are then threaded onto a fibrous string to form the 'ula sisi. This 'ula is much like the kahoa hihi (yellow snail shell garland) of Niue.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1986.241Accession Date: 20 Oct 1986Description: 'Ula sisi. Neck ornament. 'Ula is a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family,…

Description: A small sherd of lapita pottery.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1969.202Accession Date: 1969Description: A small sherd of lapita pottery.

Description: Helu. Comb. Helu (comb) or helu tu'aniu (coconut midrib comb) as they are commonly referred to, are ornamental combs which are worn by females in Tonga. They are a popular personal adornment amongst Tongan women and girls alike, and rose to popularity in the 18th century. Helu are primarily made from tu'aniu (coconut midrib), bound with pulu'i niu (coconut husk) and decorated with beads. Helu can also be made from other materials such as wood and tortoise shell and are ornately carved. This is a helu tu'aniu, it is triangular in shape, the midsection is lashed with dark brown pulu'i niu and decorated with coloured beads. Above this, the extended triangular tip is made with three bound and decorated pieces of tu'aniu which meet at a point.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1972.166Accession Date: 22 Sep 1972Description: Helu. Comb. Helu (comb) or helu tu'aniu (coconut midrib comb) as they are commonly referred to, are ornamental combs which are worn by females in Tonga. They are a popular…

Description: 'Ula sisi. Shell neck ornament. 'Ula sisi are a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family, friends and visitors. This 'ula is made up of sisi tai (seashell) and string. The sisi tai are miniature in size and off-white in colour. Each sisi tai have single perforations near the lip, allowing it to be strung on an off-white string.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1969.94Accession Date: 24 Apr 1969Description: 'Ula sisi. Shell neck ornament. 'Ula sisi are a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts…

Description: Helu. Comb. Helu (comb) or helu tu'aniu (coconut midrib comb) as they are commonly referred to, are ornamental combs which are worn by females in Tonga. They are a popular personal adornment amongst Tongan women and girls alike, and rose to popularity in the 18th century. Helu are primarily made from tu'aniu (coconut midrib), bound with pulu'i niu (coconut husk) and decorated with beads. Helu can also be made from other materials such as wood and tortoise shell and are ornately carved. This is a helu tu'aniu which has a point at the top that tapers outwards towards the bottom. The top half of this helu features a thick band of lashed tu'aniu as well as other decoratively lashed motifs throughout. This helu features two triangular cut outs towards the top.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Date: UnknownDescription: Helu. Comb. Helu (comb) or helu tu'aniu (coconut midrib comb) as they are commonly referred to, are ornamental combs which are worn by females in Tonga. They are a popular…

Description: 'Ula sisi. Shell neck ornament. 'Ula sisi are a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts to family, friends and visitors. This 'ula is made up of sisi tai (seashell) and string. The sisi tai are miniature in size and off-white in colour. Each sisi tai have single perforations near the lip, allowing it to be strung on an off-white string.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1969.94Accession Date: 24 Apr 1969Description: 'Ula sisi. Shell neck ornament. 'Ula sisi are a type of Samoan adornment, worn around the neck. It is worn on special occasions, as part of a dance attire and offered as gifts…

Description: Helu. Comb. Helu (comb) or helu tu'aniu (coconut midrib comb) as they are commonly referred to, are ornamental combs which are worn by females in Tonga. They are a popular personal adornment amongst Tongan women and girls alike, and rose to popularity in the 18th century. Helu are primarily made from tu'aniu (coconut midrib), bound with pulu'i niu (coconut husk) and decorated with beads. Helu can also be made from other materials such as wood and tortoise shell and are ornately carved. This helu is rectangular in shape with a long extended tip. The tu'aniu is lashed with brown pulu'i niu, there is a thick section of lashing before the tu'aniu individually flares out at the bottom. At the top of the helu there are zig zag designs which have been lashed with black dyed pulu'i niu. The middle two tu'aniu extend from the top edge for app 15cms, this would be clearly visible when worn.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1969.94Accession Date: 24 Apr 1969Description: Helu. Comb. Helu (comb) or helu tu'aniu (coconut midrib comb) as they are commonly referred to, are ornamental combs which are worn by females in Tonga. They are a popular…

Description: Te katau. Waist ornament. Ornamental girdle. This is a girdle made to be worn around the waist by women. It is made of te kora (coconut sennit fibre cordage), te nana (coconut shell) and te nouo (cone shell; conus). The kora is mid brown in colour and has been used to thread a series of small circular discs of te nana. A section of the threaded dark brown te nana has been divided by two off-white circular discs of te nouo creating an alternating pattern across the length of te katau. The discs vary in circumference and matte in surface texture. A small circular perforation has been drilled into the centre of the discs where the kora has been threaded through. It has been fastened in one place and left with a short selvege of te kora. It is very long in length.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1940.90Accession Date: 1940Description: Te katau. Waist ornament. Ornamental girdle. This is a girdle made to be worn around the waist by women. It is made of te kora (coconut sennit fibre cordage), te nana (coconut…

Description: Te katau. Waist ornament. This is a girdle made to be worn around the waist by women. It is made of te kora (coconut sennit fibre cordage), te nana (coconut shell) and te nouo (cone shell; conus). The kora is mid brown in colour and has been used to thread a series of small circular discs of te nana. A section of the threaded dark brown te nana has been divided by two off-white circular discs of te nouo creating an alternating pattern across the length of te katau. The discs vary in circumference and are matte in surface texture. A small circular perforation has been drilled into the centre of the discs where the kora has been threaded through. It consists of two strands has been fastened in one place. There are short extensions of kora after the fastening that have been further threaded with discs of te nana, one of which features a single disc of te nouo. These have been knotted off where the stubbed fibrous ends of the kora can be seen.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1940.3Accession Date: 1940Description: Te katau. Waist ornament. This is a girdle made to be worn around the waist by women. It is made of te kora (coconut sennit fibre cordage), te nana (coconut shell) and te nouo…

Description: Fau. Necklace.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1992.205Accession Date: 07 Aug 1992Description: Fau. Necklace.

Description: Helu. Comb. Helu (comb) or helu tu'aniu (coconut midrib comb) as they are commonly referred to, are ornamental combs which are worn by females in Tonga. They are a popular personal adornment amongst Tongan women and girls alike, and rose to popularity in the 18th century. Helu are primarily made from tu'aniu (coconut midrib), bound with pulu'i niu (coconut husk) and decorated with beads. Helu can also be made from other materials such as wood and tortoise shell and are ornately carved. This helu is made from tu'aniu and has been cut to a point at the top. Black and brown coloured pulu'i niu are used to decoratively lash the pieces of tu'aniu together.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1992.269Accession Date: 08 Sep 1992Description: Helu. Comb. Helu (comb) or helu tu'aniu (coconut midrib comb) as they are commonly referred to, are ornamental combs which are worn by females in Tonga. They are a popular…

Description: Helu. Comb. Helu (comb) or helu tu'aniu (coconut midrib comb) as they are commonly referred to, are ornamental combs which are worn by females in Tonga. They are a popular personal adornment amongst Tongan women and girls alike, and rose to popularity in the 18th century. Helu are primarily made from tu'aniu (coconut midrib), bound with pulu'i niu (coconut husk) and decorated with beads. Helu can also be made from other materials such as wood and tortoise shell and are ornately carved. This is a helu tu'aniu, it is light in colour and rectangular in shape. It tapers out towards the bottom where the teeth form a slight curve. Dark and light brown pulu'i niu decorate the helu in the form of decorative lashing, this also holds the helu together.

Collection: HUMAN HISTORYAccession Number: 1981.29Accession Date: 28 Jan 1981Description: Helu. Comb. Helu (comb) or helu tu'aniu (coconut midrib comb) as they are commonly referred to, are ornamental combs which are worn by females in Tonga. They are a popular…