Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The mourning ta'ovala



On Tongatapu, a girl wears a mourning l taʻovala.

This special mat like dress is worn to show respect for the deceased.  The more old and torn the ta'ovala the greater the respect. The mourning ta'ovala  is a huge course mat, without decoration. These social mats are kept as precious heirlooms and are handed down in families.  

I was not sure of the protocol of photographing someone in mourning, so I took a clandestine photographs. 




No comments:

Post a Comment