Tapa Cloth (Siapo)

ClassificationsTextiles-tapa cloths

Culture Samoan

Datemid 19th - early 20th Century

Made AtSamoa

Collection SiteSydney, New South Wales, Australia, Australia

MediumBark and pigment

Dimensions56 × 51 1/2 in. (142.2 × 130.8 cm)

Credit LineThe George Stanley Lodin Collection

Object number2015.17.35

DescriptionSiapo is the general term for tapa cloths from Samoa. Tapa cloths are found throughout the Pacific. The design and construction of Samoan tapa cloths were quite influential throughout the Pacific as siapo were traded frequently. Siapo are made by removing a piece of tree bark and then separating bast from the bark. This bast is scrapped and beaten and eventually becomes long strips of fiber. These strips are joined together to make sections of cloth. The cloth is then decorated with traditional and local imagery. The methods used to add designs to the tapa also vary, but generally speaking, two popular methods are to hand paint designs and to transfer designs onto the cloth from a design tablet.

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