1. Note: Please view in slide show mode
Usually found bottom right of screen
This power point has animation effects and will not display properly unless viewed in slide mode. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you
Te Tuhi
Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom
Ph:

2. Welcome Thank you for using this pre-visit resource.
We believe this will help strengthen student learning leading up to and during your gallery visit.

3. Stories from the Pacific
Te Tuhi
Pre visit lesson 1
Stories from the Pacific: Polynesian Tapa

4. Welcome to Stories from the Pacific
In the next few lessons we will learn about…
Polynesian tapa
Inspired by tapa
Designing our story
Welcome…
Image:

5. Let’s start this lesson by learning about Polynesian tapa.
Image:

6. What is Polynesian Tapa?
How do you make Tapa?
What is Polynesian Tapa?
1. Tapa is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree.
2. The bark is taken from the tree, flattened and joined together to make a large cloth.
3. When the tapa cloth is dry it is placed over a wooden carving and rubbed over with dye. Now we can see the pattern.
4. Next the pattern is decorated with brown and black dye.
What is Tapa? Making Tapa….
Polynesian Tapa is an art form unique to many cultures in the Pacific.
Image:
Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.

7. Which Pacific cultures make tapa cloth? Polynesian tapa is made in…
Samoa
Tonga
Uvea (Wallis Island) and Futuna
Niue
Cook Islands
Tahiti
Hawaii
Fiji
Vanuatu
Santa Cruz Islands
Where is tapa made?
Solomon Islands
Papua New Guinea
Image:

8. Ngatu is tapa in Tonga and Siapo is tapa in Samoa.
Boxes and symbols
Do all Polynesian Tapa look the same?
Ngatu is tapa in Tonga and Siapo is tapa in Samoa.
Each tapa is different in its own way.
In the siapo we can see symbols of plants, flowers and leaves are in boxes.
Samoan tapa: Siapo
In Ngatu we see symbols of a shield (of Tonga), a lion and dove in boxes. All three symbols reflect Tonga’s history.
Do all tapa look the same? Grids and symbols
Tongan tapa: Ngatu
Image:
Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.

9. Nemasitse, tapa cloth from Vanuatu, we can see a pattern of leaves.
Nature and pattern
Colour and line
Nemasitse, tapa cloth from Vanuatu, we can see a pattern of leaves.
Tapa from Papua New Guinea has red from vegetable dye and black and brown from mud.
The Tahitian tapa scarf shows printed leaves and fern fronds.
Kapa from Hawaii use colours including yellow, red, brown and black.
Colour and patter
Tapa made from Eromanga, Vanuatu: Nemasitse
Tapa, Oro Province, Papua New Guinea
Hawaiian Tapa: Kapa
Tahitian tapa scarf Ahufara.
Image:
Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.

10. Many tapa cloth symbols are in squares. Some big and some small.
Circles
Many tapa cloth symbols are in squares. Some big and some small.
Hiapo, tapa cloth from Nuie, have symbols in circular shapes making their design unique.
Circular - hiapo
Nuiean Tapa: Hiapo
Image:
Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.

11. Was tapa only made to be an art work?
Tapa is used for:
Masks and costumes.
Clothing.
Orator chiefs left and right wear siapo vala as lavalava or wrap-around skirts 1930`
Blankets or to make a room.
During occasions like birthdays, weddings and funerals.
Tapa is also used for…
A display of fine Tongan baskets containing bottles of scented coconut oil, several headrests, woven items and two large bundles of tapa cloth. Assembled for a wedding exchange 1920
Image:
Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.
Cook Islands: Mask and costume 1899

12. Let’s recap on what we have learnt so far…
As we have seen, Polynesian tapa is made and used by many cultures of the Pacific…
Let’s recap on what we have learnt so far…
Lets recap on what we have learnt…

13. What have we learnt so far?
Polynesian tapa…
is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree. The bark is flattened, dried and then decorated with dye.
have different designs. They use different colours, patterns and symbols to one another.
What we have learnt so far…
is used for clothing, costume, masks, blankets, bedrooms and to help celebrate birthdays and weddings.

14. In the next lesson we will explore ‘Inspired by tapa’.
Next time…
End of lesson