Tapa

Description

Large piece of heavily decorated Samoan tapa cloth, called siapo in Samoa. Intricate decorative pattern covers the surface with frequent overpainting that delineates portions of the pattern. The pattern is made up of triangles, curved hourglass shapes, leaf patterns, chevrons and star-shapes that are placed in repeating rectangles separated by a double line of serrated shapes. Gray-brown in color with dark brown overpainting. Made using an upeti, or pattern tablet. Siapo is fabric made from the inner bark of certain trees (usually paper mulberry) and is widely used throughout the Pacific Islands for clothing and sleeping covers as well as for other domestic, sacred and ceremonial purposes.