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Marcellin College
My Cultural Heritage
Sione's first birthday basket
Hello and Malo e Lelei! My name is Sione and I have a story to tell you about my Grandma's baskets.
In the early days, Tongan weavers started to create Easter baskets with handles. These were used for putting Easter eggs in. The style and purpose of these baskets changed gradually.
Decorating baskets
Black cloth is used to cover the basket, until it is completely covered. Then small pieces of tapa are cut out and stuck around the sides as a decoration.
After gluing the tapa pieces on, the glue has to be left to dry until the tapa is firmly stuck on. When it is dry, they use big Tongan shells called 'puleoto' to decorate the basket. These are stuck along the handle, together with red and black feathers.
Gifts
This kind of decorated basket is used for weddings or birthdays. A bible and fan is put inside. They are called 'tohi tapu' and 'tapili'.
Other gifts can also be put inside this kind of basket, like flowers, perfume, clothes and a 'tauvala'.
My basket
When it was my first birthday, I got a basket from my Grandma. It had a bible in it, and tapa and a tauvala.
I still have the basket and the photos that were taken that day. My grandma is now in New Zealand and is still making the baskets.
She makes them with one of her friends from school. She sometimes sells them, but she keeps the good ones that she makes.
