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Overview
This is an rare example of a siapo mamanu (tapa cloth) from Samoa. The making of barkcloth or tapa was once widespread throughout the islands of the Pacific. In the 21st century, it is most strongly practised in the west Polynesian island groups of Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa.
Materials
Siapo makers use the bark of the u’a (paper mulberry tree) to make their cloth. The bark is carefully peeled off the tree in strips and then the inner bark is separated and scraped clean. It is then pounded until it widens into a larger size. The pieces of cloth go through a process where they are pasted together to make a larger cloth then decorated.
Decoration techniques
Siapo are decorated in two ways: either freehand or by taking rubbings off a relief pattern carved into a plank or board. The dyes are made from a variety of plants and trees and an earth ochre called ‘ele. Freehand-decorated siapo are called siapo mamanu. The creative flair of siapo makers is seen in the arrangement of the motifs and the clever use of a restricted colour palette. The motifs used usually represent plants and animals.
Acquisition history
This siapo mamanu was made by Samoan siapo artist Mary Pritchard. She was taught the art form by the talented women of Leone on Pago Pago in the late 1920s, and developed into a talented siapo designer in her own right. Pritchard was also an inspiring teacher and one of the few individuals in the mid-20th century to develop an individual reputation for her work.
This siapo was formerly part of the artist's collection, a private collection in the USA and in a private collection New Zealand. It was exhibited at the Helen Day Art Center, Stowe, Vermont, USA in 1981 and appears in Pritchard’s book Siapo: Barkcloth art of Samoa (1984).