This beautiful Pacifika Cross is made to hang on your wall. A lovely ornament to reflect your Christian faith, as well as being a beautiful ornament regardless of religion.
The design incorporates an instantly recognisable modern barkcloth image, called manulua in Tonga and Samoa, representing two birds in flight.
Did you think it represented the frangipani flower? That is actually a modern concept that is incorrect but understandable.
Intriguingly, the design actually comes from the Lapita people of Indonesia, who migrated into Melanesia and Polynesia between 1500-800BCE, bringing pottery with them. Their stamped pottery motifs were the basis of the manulua design.
Thousands of years ago, a Lapita design was repeating triangles stamped onto ceramics. After migrating to Samoa and Tonga, that design was incorporated into designs on Samoan siapo and Tongan ngatu (barkcloth), becoming the representation of two birds in flight. (Tapa is the name for barkcloth in Tahiti and Cook Islands; Masi in Fiji, and Aute in New Zealand).
As time went on, the edges of the triangles were softened, into a design looking more like a flower.
And eventually, as art evolved and frangipani were imported into the Islands, the design became used as a decorative frangipani image.
It's a great example of art evolving, rightly or wrongly of course!
And apologies for digressing so far from the details about this cross, but I thought it important to do my research on the background to the design, and couldn't help but share it. (That's me! LOL).
This modern day frangipani tapa cross is made in New Zealand, from satin acrylic. It measures approximately 90mm x 115mm x 6mm (3 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 1/4") and hangs from a string cord. And it is available in a great variety of colours!
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