1. 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.
Due to the different versions of PowerPoint schools may use, please check for, and correct any formatting issues before you use this presentation with your students.
Please check by viewing in slide show format before making any necessary changes.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Welcome
Learning Experiences Outside the Classrom
Te Tuhi Centre for the Arts
Phone: (09) ext 7703
Jeremy Leatinu’u
Education Coordinator

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

3. Welcome to Stories from the Pacific
Over the next few lessons we will learn about…
Polynesian tapa
Artists from past to present
Designing our story
Welcome…
Image:

4. Let’s start this lesson by exploring Polynesian tapa.
Image:

5. Firstly, what is Polynesian Tapa?
Making Tapa
Firstly, what is Polynesian Tapa?
1. Originally a native of East Asia, the paper mulberry tree is most commonly used to make Polynesian tapa.
2. The bark is stripped from the tree and beaten to stretch the bark.
3. Other pieces are joined together and beaten, creating a large cloth. Some tapa cloth can be as long as 100 metres!
4. Once the tapa cloth is dry it is placed over a rubbing tablet covered with dye. The tapa is rubbed over the tablet so the dye and pattern show through.
What is Tapa? Making Tapa….
5. Once the dye is dry the pattern is highlighted and decorated in brown and black dye. Many symbols or pattern used in tapa reflect things of the land and sea such as plants, trees, birds, turtles and insects.
Polynesian Tapa is an art form, developed and refined over the last few hundred years and unique to many cultures in the Pacific.
Image:
Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.

6. How many different Pacific cultures make tapa?
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:

7. What might the symbols in this Siapo and Masi reflect?
Grids and symbols
Do all Polynesian Tapa look the same?
Grids or squares are seen often in tapa design, such as siapo and masi.
Ngatu as it is known in Tonga and Uvea (Wallis Island) also use the grid in their tapa design.
Each tapa is different in its own way.
Sometimes the difference is in how the cloth is made, what colours are used, what patterns and signs are drawn and how the images are arranged on the bark cloth.
Symbols and patterns can become very distinctive and can tell us where the tapa was made. In the siapo and masi examples earlier we saw plants, flowers and leaves as symbols.
Square or rectangular templates with symbols and pattern are made and rubbed onto the cloth with dye. This is repeated throughout the tapa creating the appearance of a grid.
Samoan tapa: Siapo
Tongan tapa: Ngatu
For others the grid is simply painted on creating individual spaces for simple symbols and motif.
Do all tapa look the same? Grids and symbols
Ngatu from Tonga have distinctive symbols and are perhaps the only culture to include a shield (of Tonga), a lion and dove. All three symbols reflect events in Tonga’s history.
Lets take a closer look at some of the tapa made around the Pacific.
What might the symbols in this Siapo and Masi reflect?
Uvea tapa: Ngatu
Fijian tapa: Masi
Image:
Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.

8. As we have seen in siapo and masi, nature inspires many tapa design.
Nature and pattern
Colour and line
As we have seen in siapo and masi, nature inspires many tapa design.
Kapa from Hawaii also use a range of different colours including yellow, red, brown and black.
Designs on Tahitian tapa also reflect nature but not through drawing symbols.
Each Pacific culture chooses specific colours and certain drawing tools to decorate their tapa.
Leaves and fern fronds are dipped in dye and pressed against the cloth leaving an accurate portrait of the leaf.
Different types of leaves inspire the decoration of tapa. They can be repeated throughout, creating a pattern like arrangement as seen in this nemasitse.
To decorate kapa a range of tools are used, from multi-pronged pens that look like forks to patterned bamboo printing stamps.
Tapa made from Papua New Guinea use red from vegetable dyes and black and brown from charocal and certain muds.
Colour and patter
Tapa made from Eromanga, Vanuatu: Nemasitse
Tahitian tapa scarf Ahufara.
Tapa, Oro Province, Papua New Guinea
Hawaiian Tapa: Kapa
Image:
Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.

9. However in hiapo design a curricular arrangement is also used.
Circular
Arranging symbols using a grid has become a common practice when designing tapa, including hiapo.
However in hiapo design a curricular arrangement is also used.
Such curricular arrangements are mostly drawn with no rubbing tablet being used.
Circular - hiapo
Nuiean Tapa: Hiapo
Image:
Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.

10. Was tapa only made to be an art work?
Tapa was made to serve many different things across the Pacific islands.
Tapa continues to be made today and continues to be an important part of Pacific culture, heritage and tradition.
In Samoa like many other Pacific cultures, tapa was made into a lavalava or wrap-around skirt.
Tapa is used as bed coverings or to create a private room.
In Rarotonga tapa was made into masks and costumes and worn during celebration and dance.
Tapa can be used to decorate the walls, floors and ceiling. It can even decorate things like drums!
In Tahiti tapa was made into ponchos to cover the top half of the body.
Orator chiefs left and right wear siapo vala as lavalava or wrap-around skirts 1930`
Tapa is also used for…
Tapa is used for special occasions such as honouring a guest or during ceremonies such as birthdays, weddings and funerals.
Male dancers dressed in tapa costumes and masks 1903
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
Teffaaora, chief of Borabora wearing a tiputa or poncho 1820
Cook Islands: Mask and costume 1899
Image:
Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. Auckland NZ: David Bateman Ltd, 1997.

11. 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…

12. What have we learnt so far?
Polynesian tapa…
is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree. The bark is beaten until soft, left to dry, then later decorated using a rubbing tablet and dye.
design differs between Pacific cultures. They are sometimes different in how the tapa is made, what symbols or colours are used and how they are arranged on the tapa cloth.
What we have learnt so far…
is an important part of Pacific culture, tradition and heritage. It is used as clothing, costume, masks, bed coverings to decorate walls, floors and ceilings, to help celebrate birthdays and weddings and to honour guests.

13. Art Activity: Rubbing tablet
Tapa artists used dye and a rubbing tablet to help create their symbols and pattern.
Explore the technique of rubbing by collecting small or large leaves from outside. Pick different shaped leaves to make it interesting.
Place the leaves under a piece of paper and with your pencil lightly shade over the top. The leaf should shine through the paper just like the symbols on a rubbing tablet.
Try arranging your leaves in grids, circles or spread them out like nemasitse. Use a range of drawing tools like pen, chalk, colouring pencil or crayon on different textured pieces of paper.
Image:

14. In the next lesson we will explore ‘Aritsts from past to present’.
Next time…
End of lesson