A sperm whale tooth from Fiji

Forty years ago I was lucky enough to begin my career with a lectureship at the newly open University of the South pacific, in the Fijian Islands. Today's photograph reminds me of those 4 happy years spent in Paradise.

It is of a tooth of the sperm whale, known to the Fijians as a tabua (pronounced tambua). They are presented to chiefs as a sign of respect, given as gifts to arrange marriages, offered to friends to show sympathy after the death of a family member, used as a means to seal a contract or another agreement, and as a symbol of reconciliation in the settlement of disagreements. A tabua is one of the most highly prized possessions within Fijian culture. Presenting another person, family, or tribal group with a tabua is the ultimate symbol of respect, involving ceremonies that are unique to the Fiji Islands. The tabua is normally presented with an intricately plaited coconut-fibre chord attached at each end.

Tabuas are not to be bought or sold; they are simply circulated as gifts from the family, and tribe to tribe, passing from one generation to the next in an endless cycle of ceremony that keeps Fijian culture alive.

This tambua, probably dates from the late 19th century. Its deep golden colour is the result of it having been hung in a smoky atmosphere over many years. It had probably been brought back to Europe in the colonial era and was purchased in the United Kingdom in 2004. However, it should be noted that it is now illegal to export a tabua out of Fiji, and furthermore, that the international conventions on endangered species (CITES) prohibit their import into most other Western countries.