Ili pau (fan)

This is an ili pau, a small wooden fan named after the wood of the Pau or Manapau (Mamea odorata) that they were fashioned from. This example was probably made in the 19th or early 20th century and has part of the body of the fan missing.

Form and function

Hand held fans are made throughout the Pacific Islands. People use them to keep cool in hot weather, they present them as gifts and sell them to tourists as souvenirs. They use them decoratively as ornaments, and display them in their homes. In performances, dancers often use fans as accessories, to complement their costumes and accentuate their body movements. People make fans from a range of materials including coconut and pandanus leaf, barkcloth (tapa) and wood. They embellish them with shells, beads, feathers, paints and dyes. The decorations can be pictorial and include text such as names of people, places or events.

Fans in Samoa are usually made from coconut or pandanus leaves. Due to the thinness to which the pau is cut, most ili pau are small in size with narrower proportions than fans woven from leaves. Geometric shapes and patterns were cut out from the thin body of the fan making the ili pau a light and delicate accessory. The quality of the open fretwork on ili pau varies greatly with some extensively decorated and others very plain.

Acquisition History

This ili pau was collected by James B. Fleck and his wife Florence Fleck (nee king). James came to New Zealand in 1912, and served with the New Zealand Army Occupation Force in Western Samoa from 1915-1919. This item was donated to Te Papa by his daughter Alice Hunt in 2000.