tabua en

Tabua are pierced and braided whales teeth, originally taken from the lower jaw of sperm whales found stranded on Fijian beaches. As whale strandings were relatively rare, so were whale teeth more valued as a result. Tabua are considered by Fijians as a kavakaturanga or ‘chiefly thing’. They are not worn but are presented at important ceremonies, including weddings, births and funerals. Ceremonial tabua have holes drilled through the tip and the butt, and a braided sennit cord is attached. To make tabua, the whale teeth are polished and sometimes rubbed with coconut oil and turmeric to darken them. In some cases the teeth are smoked in a small tent-like structure covered in bark cloth to turn them a rich tobacco colour.