Kuo Hina E Hiapo: The Mulberry is White and Ready for Harvest (2001)

Ngatu, or tapa cloth, is a traditional fabric made from mulberry tree bark, beaten into sheets and decorated with symbolic designs. For centuries, it has been central to Tongan culture. Across Polynesia, bark cloth holds deep ceremonial significance, used at birth, marriage, and death. This documentary explores the collaborative process of making ngatu, carried on by women, and the challenges facing this tradition as a modern economy emerges in Tonga. While passed down through generations, younger people are losing interest, despite the older generation's conviction that ngatu will endure.