Ie'toga/Fala

The Fala/Ie'toga is usually the costume the dancer (Taualuga) usually uses when she does the siva. 

I have been looking at how the costume or mat is made. 

The difference between a ie'toga and a fala?

The Ie'toga is the Samoan term for a fine mat. Fine mats in the Samoan culture are considered more valuable than money. An I'e toga is used in special occasions. These occasions include weddings, funerals, building of new houses, church events, tattooing and appointing a new chief village. 

The I'e Toga was originated from Tonga. The I'e toga was originally brought to Samoa by a Tongan lady named Fuka. Fuka's older sister, Lautiovogia was married to King Fonoti who was at the time King Of Samoa. During Fuka's visit to Samoa, she gave her sister an Ie'Toga as a gift. Since that day they have used the name I'e, meaning cloth or mat and Toga, meaning the country Tonga. 

Fala Mats are made from laufala which is the leaves of the Pandanus tree. They are usually mats made for sleeping,sitting or carpet. Regular mats are woven with inch-wide strips of dried leaves and they vary in size tend to be about 4 feet wide by about 8 feet long. 

Ie'toga Mat

Fala Mat

Which mat does the Taupo use?

The Taupo usually wears a dress made from fine mats at occasions like ava cermonies and fiafias.

The Ie'toga are woven with much thinner strips, which are used for formal purposes like the Taualauga dance.   

Background

The value of an ie'toga is defined from the knowledge, skill, patience and love that go into the process of making the fine mat. Some mats can take up to a year to complete. In the past almost every village had a designated spot (Fale Lalaga) where women would gather to make the mats. These women would teach their children the art of making fine mats. 

An ie'toga is never used as sitting mats. They are valued because of the quality of the weave and the softness and shine of the material. 

Just a video of a Samoan woman who is in the process of creating a fine mat.