Hiapo (tapa cloth)

This is a hiapo, a decorated barkcloth from Niue. It is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree and has been decorated with hand-drawn motifs.

Materials and decoration

In the 1880s, many hiapo were produced with a new style of fine freehand decoration. Comprising intricate line work and detailed motifs based on various species of plants, hiapo makers developed a distinctly Niuean iconograph. Some scholars believe that many hiapo from this period were made by a single small community on Niue. They make this claim on the basis of a continuity of style and motifs, and the recurrence of particular peoples' names on signed pieces of hiapo.

Origin

The origin of this hiapo is not recorded. However, a long string of hand-written lettering in one corner of the cloth may offer some clues. The inscription reads: HA KETH TONI TATE TONE MOTIE NAIKIA PETA TA E KE LUTE MALIE TONE TATE TO. (This is not a direct quote as the words are comprised of a mixture of upper and lower case letters, with some back to front).

Acquisition history

This hiapo was acquired from the Honourable Lady Rowley, daughter of former Governor General of New Zealand Viscount Galway (George Vere Arundell Monckton-Arundell, 8th Viscount), who closed the family home, Serlby Hall near Doncaster in 1979. She offered mementoes of Viscount Galway's Governor-Generalship (1935-1941) to the museum through the New Zealand High Commissioner in London.

References

Pule, John & Thomas, Nicholas. 2005. Hiapo: Past and Present in Niuean Barkcloth. Dunedin: Otago University Press.