Art of Tuvalu

The Art of Tuvalu has traditionally been expressed in the design of clothing and traditional handicrafts such as the decoration of mats and fans. Tuvaluan clothing was traditionally made from Fala leaves (Screw Pine or Pandanus).[1]

The material culture of Tuvalu uses traditional design elements in artifacts used in everyday life such as the design of canoes and fish hooks made from traditional materials. The design of women's skirts (titi) and tops (teuga saka), that are used in performances of the traditional dance songs of Tuvalu, represents contemporary Tuvaluan art and design.[2]

The collection of the Museum of New Zealand holds Tuvaluan artifacts and handicraft, including a man's jacket and a Mother Hubbard dress[Note 1] made from pandanus leaves that were made following the impact of Christian missionaries who demanded that the women of Tuvalu adopt more conservative clothing as compared to traditional Tuvaluan clothing.[4]

  1. ^ Hedley, Charles (1896). General account of the Atoll of Funafuti (PDF). Australian Museum Memoir 3(2): 1–72. pp. 40–41.
  2. ^ Mallon, Sean (2 October 2013). "Wearable art: Tuvalu style". Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa) blog. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  3. ^ "Te Papa - Collection". Museum of New Zealand. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  4. ^ "Topic: Tales from Te Papa Episode 48: Tuvalu Clothes". Te Papa (Museum of New Zealand) Pacific Cultures collection video. Retrieved 10 April 2014.


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