Description
Tongan Fetuʻu Mataliki is formed around the Manulua, a traditional motif found in Tongan ngatu (bark cloth). The pattern symbolises two birds in flight and reflects the coming together of people and community. In Tonga, Mataliki is the name for Pleiades, the star cluster whose rising signals the beginning of a new season. These stars honour traditional navigators and guide planting and harvesting, as fāmili (family) and community gather, acknowledging enduring connections between land, ocean, ancestors and generations yet to come. Each fetuʻu (star) casts shifting shadows as light moves across the wall, echoing the movement and rhythms of the seasons.
