Siapo (Tapa, barkcloth)

This is an ‘upeti fala - a relief pattern board made from leaves and used in the manufacture of Samoan siapo (bark cloth or tapa).

Materials

Siapo makers use the bark of the u‘a (paper mulberry tree). 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 before being decorated. The dyes used on the cloth are made from a variety of plants and trees and an earth ochre called ‘ele.

Decoration techniques

This cloth is an example of siapo tasina or siapo ‘elei. Both are names given to siapo that are decorated using an ‘upeti - a relief pattern either carved into a plank of timber or made from leaves.

The ‘upeti made from leaves is called an ‘upeti fala, and incorporates pieces of coconut fibre cord, bamboo strips, pandanus leaves, and coconut midrib sewn onto pandanus leaves with plant fibre. To create siapo tasina or siapo ‘elei, a plain piece of u‘a is placed over the relief pattern of the ‘upeti and rubbed over with dye. The pattern of the underlying board comes through and marks both sides of the cloth. It is a simple process that works in much the same way as a pencil rubbing of a coin or other raised pattern. The resulting siapo pattern is either left as it is or over painted.

‘Upeti fala appear to have been used only up until the 1930s, with the more durable wooden ‘upeti replacing them almost entirely as time went on.

Acquisition

This 'upeti was purchased from Bethunes in 1916 by the Dominion Museum (Te Papa's predecessor).