Tapa Beater (Ike)

The Tapa Beater "Ike" - inspired by the design of the Tongan tool used to flatten bark cloth.

This hand sculpted solid sterling silver pendant design is inspired by a beautiful tool called "Ike" used by Tongan women to beat and flatten native bark to create "tapa" cloth. It features a different number of grooves on 3 sides and one smooth side. The different sides of the tool are used as the bark cloth gets thinner and finer, finishing off with the smooth side. When I was a child growing up in Tonga I remember playing and hearing the constant sound of many "ike" being whacked down in unison as women worked together creating the beautiful fine cloth. The sound was always a comforting one, it reminds me of community, the safety of community and the patience of women. The wearer of this pendant knows that their community is always around them... that beautiful things take time and patience to make... and it takes many whacks of the "ike"

This stunning piece is a favourite amongst our Polynesian community. It measures 38mm long creating the perfect drop-pendant silhouette as worn by our gorgeous Tongan/French model Ella.