Tapa Siapo mamanu
Archipelago of Samoa
L. 148... Lot 92
result :
Not available
Estimate :
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Tapa Siapo mamanu
Archipelago of Samoa
L. 148 cm l. 78 cm
Provenance :
Collected in the 1930s by an evangelist missionary
Acquired by the present owner from him, private collection, New Caledonia
Bibliography:
"Tapa, de l'écorce à l'étoffe, art millénaire d'Océanie- de l'Asie du Sud-Est à la Polynésie orientale", Somogy,Paris, 2017, p. 265.
Chinese mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera), bright yellow from the roots of Morinda citrifolia. Red-brown from the bark of Bischofia javanica.
"To the fascination that tapas provoke is added the admiration for this know-how which, transmitted from generation to generation, has crossed not only the centuries but also the oceans to adapt to each society, to diversify and to enrich itself with multiple contributions." (C. Khaznadar).
Dimension as sacred as aesthetic, composed of a variation, a rich declension of assembled geometric patterns, the tapas held a major place during religious ceremonies. Made from skilfully woven bark, bound and connected by an accomplished, ancestral technique, they were also used for clothing, offerings and elements of domestic life.
On this long rectangular tapas decorated on the borders with friezes, composed of lozenges alternately highlighted with yellow and red-brown, appears the motif called fa'a anufe meaning the caterpillar, the larva before its metamorphosis. The pattern is visible in the squares other than those composed of four petals. The yellow color commonly known as nonuvao is extracted from the root of the noni tree (Morinda), a famous tree in Polynesia, known for its fruit with medicinal properties. This color was rarely used on ancient fabrics and has now disappeared from the tapa's "knowledge brokers".
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