How to Make Tongan Tapa Cloth (Ngatu)

What’s Tapa? Tapa-making is a traditional art form whereby the inner bark of certain trees is softened and pounded into sheets of cloth, then bound together using natural starches such as root crop. The tapa making tradition is found all across Oceania, but due to the labor-intense nature of its production, the craft has largely…

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How to Make a Tongan Broom

Traditional Tongan brooms are extremely efficient.  They double as a rake and are perfect for sweeping away the piles of inexplicable insect and flora debris that collect on my porch on a daily basis.  Plus, if you happen to be a witch, you’d be hard pressed to find a more suitable mode of transport. My…

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