prmlogo2Cook-Voyage Collections
at the Pitt Rivers Museum

1886.1.1333

PRM0001300705179Basket, kato mosi kaka, of coconut fibre and shell, from Tonga; from the Forster collection (Forster 90; 1886.1.1333)

Basket made from the coconut fibres obtained from the separated fibres of the coconut husk, leaf sheath or roots (kaka). Single strands of this fibre are twined in double pairs over a framework of thicker coconut fibre to form a flat basket. Dyed and undyed coconut fibres are used to create a geometric design, separated by shell and coconut shell beads. The top rim of the basket is made from a central core of plant material, covered with a binding of plaited coconut fibre cord. The basket appears to have been cut up one side

 

  PRM0001300685179Basket, side 2
PRM0001300755179Detail of handle area
PRM0001296355179Detail of surface
PRM0001297645179Ashmolean label
.