Stole

This is a stole, a vestment worn by Christian clergy during their performance of ceremonies and rituals. They wear the stole like a shawl around the neck. It is a symbol of their ordained status as priests.

Decoration

Stoles are often made from fine materials decorated with rich brocade, Christian symbols and imagery. This stole is of made from white cloth, decorated with Pacific and Christian motifs. It is a 'v' shaped shoulder garment decorated with a cross at the apex of the 'v' and an arc of small siapo (tapa) motifs beneath a larger central motif at either end of the garment. All of the motifs have been rendered in a brown pigment.

Significance

This stole is an example of how Christian religion has permeated the social and cultural life of Pacific peoples. The indigenous arts have been greatly influenced by Christianity's literature, teachings and iconography. In a similar way the rituals and ceremonies of Christianity have been shaped by artforms and practices of Pacific peoples and made distinctly "Pacific".

The Carmelite Sisters

This stole was made by Sisters at the Carmelite Monastery at Vailima in Sāmoa in 1999.. At the time, they were regularly sewing and decorating vestments for Catholic clergy in Sāmoa and in Sāmoan communities abroad.

The Carmelite Order had its beginnings in the 13th century on Mt Carmel in Palestine. Its members devote themselves to a life of quiet prayer and contemplation. In the 21st century, Carmelite monasteries are found throughout the world. The monastery at Vailima was established in 1959 by seven Sisters from Christchurch, New Zealand.