What's in My Backyard series featuring Saane from Tonga.
Natural resources you love and why?
“Paongo (Pandanus tectorius) is a very beautifuland versatile plant”.
How does your culture honour the whole resource?
“A fu’u paongo (the pandanus palm) has long narrowleaves, like harakeke but a bit thicker. These leaves are woven into long and thick beautiful mats (fala paongo) that are used as gifts at special occasions such as births, weddings, and funerals.
The process of making the fala paongo is a rigorous process; from gathering the leaves and preparing them for weaving mats. The act of weaving the mat also brings together women of the village. They gather into small groups to help each other and often sing songs and share stories while weaving the mat.
The fruit of the paongo is also used. It is a cluster of fo’ipaongo (individual fruit) that have a cone-like appearance but when separated, are a beautiful deep ombre of orange-red fruit.
Tongan women peel the skin of the fruit to make individual petal-like shapes which are used for kahoa kakala (necklaces) or a beautiful teunga tau’olunga (costume for traditional dance).
What drives this sustainable harvest?
“‘Oku hange ‘a e tangata ha fala ‘oku lālanga’ – Society is like a mat being woven.
This Tongan proverb uses the weaves of the fala to reflect society. When the leaves of the paongo plant are being woven, the pieces of fibre must have enough structure to hold the position they are placed in the fala.
One way of interpreting this proverb is making sure that the many different elements of the Tongan society hold its place to ensure a stable society. Families, friends, chiefs, nobles, churches, and many other things come together to form Tongan society.
‘Uta (the bush where crops are grown) holds a significant place in Tonga’s society. It is often far from the village with nothing but nature surrounding the crops.
Not only is ‘uta a source of food for the family, but it can also be the source of income for the family, a “gym” for those tending to the crops, and even a place of solitude, to get away from the buzz of the village. Men and women tending to the crops often harvest just what they need.
Each crop has its season and there is never any wasteful harvesting. Crops harvested are shared with neighbours and the village. Cuttings of the crops are saved for the next season to plant and grow for another harvest.
The place ‘uta holds in Tongan society reminds us that no matter how advanced Tonga may become, nothing can replace ‘uta. ‘Uta will always have a place in Tonga’s society. And like a fala paongo, if the fibre that is ‘uta is removed from the fala, it may lose its integrity and leave a hole that can’t be filled”.
How nature nourishes you:
“Like many cultures, respect is a huge part in Tongan culture. Tongans give acknowledgement (fakatapu) as a sign of respect. Acknowledgement is always given to the fonua tapu – the sacred land when any event is taking place – at the beginning of any event to signify the importance of the surroundings to the people gathered. Tongans acknowledge that everything in Tongan culture is connected to nature in some form and this is what nourishes tangata Tonga”.
