A Tongan community group in New Zealand hopes their efforts to make koloa inspires other Pasifika community groups to explore and preserve their own culture.
The Akomai Heritage group have just completed an exihibition of Tongan Ngatu or bark cloth at the Te Papa museum in Wellington.
One of the founders of the group Mele Kaufo'ou Katoa Taulata says it all started with trying to maintain their connections with Tongan culture.
Mrs Taulata says it was great to share a little bit of Tongan culture with the thousands of people who came through the exihibition and took part in demonstrations of the different stages of making Ngatu and she hopes they left inspired.
I visited the Akomai exihibition and spoke with Mrs Taulata who started by explaining the meaning of the largest Ngatu on display.
A Tongan Ngatu from Akomai Heritage group exhibition in Te Papa Photo: Art by Akomai Heritage Group/Photo Koroi Hawkins RNZ Pacific
