Tongan
Bark Cloth (Ngatu)
Tongan, 1933-1966
Scroll
Tongan
Bark Cloth (Ngatu)
Tongan, 1933-1966
Physical Qualities
Bark, pigment, 177 3/16 x 74 13/16 in. (450 x 190 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Alan Wurtzburger
Object Number
1955.251.167
“Our history is written, not in books, but in our mats.” —Queen Sālote Tupou III (1900–1965)
Symbols from the Tongan Coat of Arms repeat across this ngatu (bark cloth) fragment, which was likely created to be gifted during a national celebration. The crown references the Tongan royal family, the last Indigenous monarchy in the Pacific. The three stars symbolize the nation’s three main groups of islands: Tongatapu, Ha’apai, and Vava’u.
Swords represent the royal dynasties: Tuki Tonga, Tu’i Ha’atakalaua, and Tu’i Kanokupolou. Although massive, this work is but a fragment, as the panel numbers indicate.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 1955; Alan Wurtzburger
"The Alan Wurtzburger Collection of Oceanic Art", Baltimore Museum of Art, January 7-March 4, 1956
Kevin Tervala, "The Matter of Bark Cloth," Baltimore Museum of Art, May 7-October 1, 2023.
Kevin Tervala, "The Matter of Bark Cloth," Baltimore Museum of Art, May 7-October 1, 2023.
Douglas F. Fraser & Paul S. Wingret, "The Wurtzburger Collection of Oceanic Art" , BMA 1956 pg. 37. cat no. 167
