Tonga National Museum

The Tonga National Museum is a national museum located in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga.

Tonga National Museum
Tonga National Museum
Formation1998
TypeGovernmental organisation
PurposeCulture and heritage
Official language
Tongan

Background

The Tonga National Museum was established in 1998.[1] Prior to its opening, displays of artefacts were held in the Tonga National Cultural Centre.[2] Soon after its establishment, it was hoped that Tongan objects from across the world would be loaned back to the country for display, and that the TNM would be able to export touring exhibitions globally.[3]

The first exhibition to be held at the museum was entitled 'From the Stone Age to the Space Age in 200 Years: Tongan Art and Society on the Eve of the Millennium' which opened on 4 July 1998.[4] It was curated by Adrienne Kaeppler and featured objects on loan from institutions in the US, as well as Fiji, and Tonga's own collections.[4] It also included objects from Princess Pilulevu Tuita's private collection.[4] The exhibition also included shoes made of fau (hibiscus fibre) worn by Queen Salote to the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.[4]

Collection
Tu'i Malila

Tonga National Museum has a wide-ranging collection, including models of indigenous boats, photographs and objects relating to the royal family.[5] It also has an archaeological collection of Lapita culture ceramics.[6] It also holds a collection of material relating to Tonga traditional textiles, including several kupesi tui.[7] The museum has a focus on historical and contemporary Tongan works of art.[8]

The collection also includes Tu'i Malila, a radiated tortoise who reportedly lived to 189 years old and had been given as a gift to the king of Tonga by James Cook.[9] Tu'i Malila died in 1966 and was preserved as a taxidermy specimen in the lobby of the International Dateline Hotel until they were transferred to the museum.[9]

Closure

The museum closed to the public due to a lack of funding.[1] Its collections were transferred to Tupou College Museum.[1] By 2014 there were calls for the museum to be re-established - in particular as a home for archaeological archives.[10]

Revival

In 2017 a project began to explore the possibility of reopening the museum. It was supported by the then Minister of Tourism, Semisi Sika, curator Kolokesa Māhina-Tuai and sculptors Tui’one Pulotu & Steven Fehoko, amongst others.[11] A feasibility study demonstrated that there was a need to re-establish the institution.[11] The redevelopment was funded by the Ministry of Tourism.[11] In 2017 staff from Tonga visited Fiji Museum for training in museum management.[12]

The Tonga National Museum was reopened on 30 October 2020 by HRH Salote Pilolevu Mafile’o Tuita at the Queen Salote Memorial Hall.[11][13] She gave a speech stating that the national museum has a key role in preserving the heritage of Tonga.[14] Collectors Mark and Carolyn Blackburn loaned objects from their private collection to the museum for the reopening.[15]

Administration

The CEO is Sione Moala Mafi.[14] As of 2020, the museum was open five days per week, from Monday to Friday.[16] The museum is run by staff from the Culture Division of the Ministry of Tourism and Heritage.[17][11]

Location

The Tonga National Museum is located in Nuku'alofa; it is close to the Tonga National Cultural Centre and Tonga Botanical Gardens.[18]

See also

References
  1. Daly, Martin (2009-02-04). Tonga: A New Bibliography. University of Hawaii Press. p. 237. ISBN 978-0-8248-6523-8.
  2. Cartmail, Keith St (1997-10-01). The Art of Tonga. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-1972-9.
  3. Kaeppler, Adrienne Lois (1999). From the Stone Age to the Space Age in 200 Years: Tongan Art and Society on the Eve of the Millennium. Tongan National Museum. ISBN 978-982-9005-01-4.
  4. Scothern, Hilary (1999). "Review of From the Stone Age to the Space Age in 200 Years: Tongan Art and Society on the Eve of the Millennium". Pacific Arts (19/20): 111–114. ISSN 1018-4252. JSTOR 23411149.
  5. Asleson, Kate (2011). Tonga (Other Places Travel Guide). Other Places Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9822619-4-1.
  6. Art AsiaPacific Almanac. Art AsiaPacific. 2010.
  7. Koya Vaka’uta C.F (2017). Tapa Culture: Ancient Knowledge: Sacred Spaces, In Tapa: from SoutheastAsia to Polynesia, Ed. Charleux, Paris: M, Au Vent des Îles Publications, pp.238 – 288.
  8. TRADE POLICY REVIEW REPORT BY TONGA (PDF). World Trade Organisation. 2021.
  9. Castellano, Christina; Rhodin, Anders; Ogle, Michael; Mittermeier, Russell; Randriamahazo, Herilala; Hudson, Rick; Lewis, Richard, eds. (2013-11-27). Turtles on the Brink in Madagascar: Proceedings of Two Workshops on the Status, Conservation, and Biology of Malagasy Tortoises and Freshwater Turtles. Chelonian Research Monographs. Vol. 6 (First ed.). Chelonian Research Foundation. doi:10.3854/crm.6.a02p17. ISBN 978-0-9910368-0-6.
  10. "Call for Tonga museum to showcase Polynesian history". www.abc.net.au. 2014-08-04. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
  11. admin (2020-10-29). "Tonga National Museum revived to display past and present artifacts". FĀNGONGO Media Watch. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  12. "Fiji hosts Tonga National Museum specialists". Loop Tonga. 2017. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  13. "Princess Pilolevu opens National Museum". Matangitonga. 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  14. Media, VPON (2020-10-31). "HRH Princess Pilolevu Tuita re-opens Tonga National Museum". VPON Media / Tonga Latest Political News. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  15. "Broken Promises, Dirty Dealings by Tongan Government". 30 June 2017. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  16. "Ministry of Tourism Tonga, 'Api Ko Lata'anga, Nuku'alofa (2021)". www.govserv.org. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  17. "National Museum to be reopened – TBC". Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  18. "Tonga National Cultural Centre » The Kingdom Of Tonga". thekingdomoftonga.com. Retrieved 2021-07-15.

21.1335°S 175.2002°W / -21.1335; -175.2002

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