Where sound remembers: Rachael Hall and the quiet revival of the fangufangu
17 May 2026, Rachel Healy
This article first appeared in The Post on 16 May 2026
This article first appeared in The Post on 16 May 2026
Ongo: (Re)sounding the Vā is grounded ongo, a Tongan concept that encompasses sound, hearing and feeling. At its centre is the fangufangu, the Tongan bamboo nose flute, and the show features three traditional fangufangu from Te Papa’s Pacific Collection.
We all work within Tongan arts and engage with the concept of ongo, but each of us bring our own approach from different backgrounds and contexts. That makes for a rich collaboration.
Our works all respond to the reawakening of ancestral practices, both preserving them and reimagining them for today. The kaupapa of the exhibition sits in that balance – honouring what has been while imagining what could be.
The fangufangu is experiencing a significant revival, so it’s a meaningful focus for the exhibition and a way for us to share our own contributions to that resurgence. We’ve included three 19th-century pieces from Te Papa’s collection as a showcase of the instrument’s history and ongoing influence. The more we share, the more these instruments are gently reawakened, offering people a chance to encounter what was and to consider what continues to evolve.
For me, the fangufangu holds a connection across time, linking the past, present and future through sound, material and embodied knowledge.
One of the first instruments you created was a drum, Patō, in collaboration with your twin brother, producer and composer Jeremy Hall. Do you come from a musical family?
Yes, I grew up with music at church, home and school. I spent over a decade studying music theory and violin, which gave me a strong technical foundation while I was also immersed in Tongan music through my family and community. I found my way to performing by busking at the Porirua Sunday markets as well as playing in bands and orchestras around Wellington. These experiences shaped how I think about music as a shared practice, and that continues to guide how I approach the instruments I design.
Alongside music, I was always drawn to art and design, and at university I discovered industrial design as a way to bring music and making together. During my honours year, I designed Patō, an electronic, tuneable and portable log drum. It’s included in the Pātaka exhibition and marks the beginning of my musical instrument design practice.
My practice later developed through my PhD research, which explored what an Indigenised approach to industrial design could look like, and my reimagined fangufangu, Kūkū, which is also in the Pātaka exhibition, emerged from that.
Designing and reimagining instruments became a way of sharing social histories and Indigenous stories. While my work is grounded in revival and care, it’s also focused on how these instruments might continue to live and change. For example, Fangufangu Ifi Palasa (Fangufangu Brass Band) responds to the introduction of colonial brass bands and their lasting presence within Tongan musical culture. It reclaims this introduced material and reimagines it as a vehicle for traditional Tongan practices, exploring how the fangufangu can evolve and be integrated into broader Tongan musical contexts.
Sharing this work with wider audiences is not just about visibility – it’s about creating a deeper understanding of and engagement with instruments and musical practices that have been disrupted or lost over time.
As a young musician, I didn’t have the opportunity to see work like this, and it would have meant a lot to see these instruments and stories reflected in a contemporary context. So, I want to offer what I once wished for and create work that might resonate with or inspire the next generation.
