item details
Overview
History
This tapa cloth is titled Aduvahe Nioge-gem Sihot'e Taliobame'e (Chief's prestige cloth) and was made by Sarah Ugibari in 2012. Sarah is from the Sidoraje clan, but lives and works in the Oro Province in Papua New Guinea. This is one of two tapa cloths in Te Papa's collection made by Sarah, who is known to be the oldest woman of the Omie tribe. It was fortunate that Sarah did marry into the Omie as the villages of her parents and those in which she was raised, lost a devastating amount of cultural items including tapa. Missionaries entered Kuruwo and Kiara and destroyed the items because of their "heretical" traits. While many of Omie 's neighbours and even some of their own people gave up the practise of this art form over time, Sarah along with other Omie women maintained it as a central and integral part of their lives, a medium to express their own engagements with the world and its changes they had experienced over time.
Construction
Sarah Ugibari has created an example of the very first Omie/Mangalasi nioge (tapa) design ever produced. This sihoti'e nioge (mud-dyed tapa) design was only worn by Chiefs as it is a marker of prestige. The sihoti'e is contrasted upon the plain white tapa in bold, striking bands. The design was sewn with a bat-wing bone needle and a river reed was shredded to create the sewing thread.
Significance
An important historical point to note is that the Mangalasi and Omie people were at one time, one united tribe. This explains why the Mangalasi and Omie people share the same creation story. Sarah's work reminds us of the strong historical cultural links between the two groups.
The creation story tells of how the very first sihoti’e nioge was created by Suja, the first Omie woman and mother of the world, under instruction from Mina, the first Omie man, after she experienced her first menstruation. Suja dyed the plain tapa in the river mud at the River Uhojo at the base of the sacred Mount Obo. Suja wore the mud-dyed tapa during her menstruation and lived in seclusion in a small hut known as jé’o jarwé (also called ivi’ino’ové’tové) for its duration.
Acquisition history
This tapa cloth was part of the Omie Artists, Suja's Daughters exhibition and was acquired from the Andrew Baker Art Dealer in Australia in 2013.
References
Balari, S. B., Ryan, J., Modjeska, D. & Sare, A. (2009). Wisdom of the Mountain: Art of the Omie. Melbourne, Australia: National Gallery of
Gadai, A., Gama, L., Hago, P. R., Hoijo, J. M., Jonevari, D., Keme, N. & Upia, S. (2006). Omie: The barkcloth of Omie. Sydney, Australia: Presfast Pty Ltd.
Maud, P., Mallon, S. & Miller, I. (2009). Paperskin: Barkcloth across the Pacific. Exhibition Catalogue, 31 October 2009 – 14 February 2010. Brisbane, Australia: Queensland Art Gallery
Omie Artists Inc. (2013). Omie Artists. Retrieved from http://www.omieartists.com/about-us/
Omie Artists Inc., Modjeska, & D., King, B. (2013). Omie Artists: Suja's Daughters. Brisbane, Australia: Andrew Baker Art Dealer Pty Ltd.
Pacific Islands Trade & Invest. (2011). Omie Artists. Retrieved from http://www.pacifictradeinvest.com/index.php/cat/file/54-omie-bark-cloth