LALAVA IN TONGA
Abstract
This article explores the traditional Tongan art of lalava, an ornamental lashing technique using kafa sennit cords on royal fale hau structures. Drawing from oral traditions, interviews with practitioners like Tamale Mohenoa, and field observations, it examines lalava\u27s architectural, cultural, and historical roles, including patterns (kupesi) encoding royal genealogies, social hierarchies, and navigation knowledge. The study highlights its evolution, exclusive practitioners from the Tamale lineage in Niutou Village, and significance in Tongan heritage amid modernization- text
- Lalava
- Tongan lashing
- fale hau
- Tui Tonga
- kafa sennit
- Tongan architecture
- traditional binding
- Niutou Village
- Tamale Mohenoa
- Tongan patterns
- kupesi designs
- royal fale
- Pacific Studies
- Tongan oral tradition
- cultural heritage
- ornamental lashing
- Anthropology
- History
- Indigenous Studies
- Pacific Islands Languages and Societies
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Last time updated on 06/05/2026
This paper was published in BYUH Digital Collections (Brigham Young University Hawaii).
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