Museum Expedition 1904, Museum Collection Fund

Museum Expedition 1904, Museum Collection Fund

Museum Expedition 1904, Museum Collection Fund

Museum Expedition 1904, Museum Collection Fund

Large rectangular tapa cloth. The base colour of the cloth is stained a medium brown, with unpainted strips of light brown on either end. The cloth is painted with a dark brown, possibly oil based, pigment in squares with repeating patterns of birds, animals, outdoors scenes with a house, tree, sun, moon and star, a Tongan shield motif, and a central panel with triangles, lines, and lettering. At each end is a light brown strip with a bird and number in each square; 18 to 21 at one end, 19 to 22 at the other end.

Long, rectangular, brown mask. The sack-like mask is made of tree bark stitched along either side. The top of the mask folds over behind the head and has a dark brown fringe made of bark strips which cascades down the back like hair. Two eyeholes are made at the bottom of the mask, below the face. The face of the mask is a large oval made of dried black resin, painted with white and yellow features and geometric patterns. There are two large semi-circles on the forehead, four concentric circles for the eyes and cheeks, vertical lines decorating the eyebrows and a small semi-circle mouth forming a smile. The face has protruding triangular nose and eyebrows made of balsa wood.

Shaped apu stone, cubical in shape, with seven nodular points. Each point has three thin rings carved into it that have been darkened with pigment. A face is carved into one facet, with round eyes, large nose, and smiling mouth and is surrounded by short carved lines.

Long, rectangular, brown mask. The sack-like mask is made of tree bark stitched along either side. The top of the mask folds over behind the head and has a dark brown fringe made of bark strips which cascades down the back like hair. Two eyeholes are made at the bottom of the mask, below the face. The face of the mask is a long oval made of black resin painted with yellow and white lines. The mouth is a large protruding circle made of balsa wood with square lips cut into the wood. There are no eyes or other facial features evident.

Long, rectangular, brown mask. The sack-like mask is made of tree bark stitched along either side. The top of the mask folds over behind the head. Two eyeholes are made at the bottom of the mask, below the face. The face of the mask is a long oval made of black resin painted with yellow and white circles and lines. The mouth and area around the eyes are made of balsa wood that juts out. The left eye is missing; the other is a square piece of metallic material. The mouth is a large circle with bug casings(?) lining the circle. There are tufts of grass around the bottom of the mouth area.

Long, rectangular, brown mask. The sack-like mask is made of tree bark stitched along either side. The top of the mask folds over behind the head and has a dark brown fringe made of bark strips which cascades down the back like hair. Two eyeholes are made at the bottom of the mask, below the face. The face of the mask is a large oval made of dried black resin, painted with white and yellow features and geometric patterns. The mouth is a triangle, the eyes are circles, the cheeks are semi-circles and there is a triangular crown design on the forehead. The face has a protruding triangular nose and eyebrows made of balsa wood.