A poor mother and her daughter

The origin of the kato alu is believed to come from a poor mother who wove a basket as a gift for her daughter who had just gotten married. The basket, which was made out of pandan and palm leaves found around the area, was supposed to hold her daughter's food. However the chief asked the poor mother for the basket so that he could give it to his daughter, who was also getting married. The mother gave the chief the basket and from then, the meaning behind the kato alu transformed. What was originally intended for a poor mother's gift became a royal's basket to hold coconut oil. From then, the kato alu were only given to nobility for significant occasions. 

Story Source:

Hettinger, Amy, and Paul Cox. 1997. "The Making of the Kato Alu-A Traditional Tongan Basket." Economic Botany 51, no. 2: 144-48.