Saipo (Bark Cloth): Bark cloth, or
siapo, has long been one of the most beautiful artistic items produced
by Samoan women. While tapa is commonly used as a generic name for
all bark cloth produced throughout the South Pacific, the Samoan
term tapa technically refers only to the undecorated borders of
the cloth. Siapo refers to the entire cloth (decorated or not).
Siapo is primarily created from the inner bark of the cultivated
paper mulberry tree (u'a). Other trees may also be used, such as
the banyan and breadfruit, but they do not produce the preferred
creamy white bark cloth that the paper mulberry provides. While
the paper mulberry tree is growing, lateral branches are kept cut,
to create a smooth bark surface which will prevent holes from appearing
in the beaten cloth. When a tree is determined ready, the entire
bark is peeled off in a single section. From that piece the soft
inner bark (bast), which is used to create siapo, is removed from
the stiff outer bark. Removal of outer bark remnants is achieved
by placing the inner bark on a sloping board and scraping it with
seashell scrapers, although this step may be omitted if time is
a factor. During the scraping process, the board and bark are kept
moist, to promote softening and spreading. To further widen and
soften the piece of inner bark, it is soaked and beaten with a wooden
mallet (i'e) on a wooden anvil (tutua). Longitudinal grooves on
the surface of the mallet facilitate the spreading of the bark fibers,
but for the final beating, a smooth side will be used to create
a finished surface. To create larger pieces and to patch holes,
sections of beaten inner bark can be joined using arrowroot (or
other adhesives). Finally, after the bark cloth is placed in the
sun to dry, it is ready for the siapo artist who may choose from
a variety of decorative techniques.
Natural
pigments acquired from the environment continue to
be used for siapo decoration, but some artists also
choose to supplement this color range with imported
dyes. Local plant sources or ochres provide various
shades of brown, black, red, yellow and purple that
are applied with a brush, most often created from
the softened end of a pandanus fruit. Most design
motifs derive from the natural environment, and
carry names such as trochus shell, starfish,
centipede, pandanus leaves and breadfruit leaves,
among others. More recent innovations have included
the occasional incorporation of names and places
into the overall composition. Siapo artists
inventively arrange these basic design elements
into compositions that fill the cloth with personal
inspiration and artistic creativity, especially
bark cloth decorated solely by freehand, called
siapo mamanu, a technique that allows limitless
design possibilities.
In addition to free hand siapo
mamanu, another method of decoration utilizes a rubbing technique
to create a pattern. These cloths, called siapo tasina, are made
with rectangular wooden or leaf pattern boards. Both wood and leaf
design boards are called upeti, and they measure approximately one
by three feet. However, wood upeti, which may have carved designs
on one or both sides, are the only ones in active use today. When
using a wood upeti to transfer a carved pattern onto cloth, the
design tablet is first placed on a flat surface and rubbed with
a cloth swab moistened with dye. Plain bark cloth is then pressed
onto the surface, and additional dye is rubbed across the top to
bring out the pattern where contact with the board is made. During
this stage, shavings of red ochre may also be rubbed into the bark
cloth to strengthen the design. Wood upeti create large areas of
colored design on the siapo, as only the grooves that define the
design on the wooden tablet remain uncolored. The topside of the
cloth achieves a dark pattern, while the underside has a much lighter
trace of dye since the application of dye on the wooden board is
done primarily to secure the bark cloth during the rubbing process.
After one section is completed, the bark cloth can be lifted up
and moved to repeat the process on the adjoining sections, creating
a "continuous" pattern. Different design boards can also be alternated
to create a variety of interesting patterns.
Once the
wood upeti pattern is completed, the siapo artist
will often enhance the composition by applying a
second layer of free hand design over the imprinted
pattern, especially if it is a smaller piece. While
this second layer is applied free hand, it tends to
follow the rubbed upeti pattern; however, certain
elements are highlighted and enhanced, and others
remain untouched. While the first layer of upeti
design unifies the composition, the second layer
could be considered artistic embellishment. If
successful, both layers remain articulated and the
eye oscillates between them. Great range is
achieved using the same upeti board, as individuals
creatively rework the siapo vocabulary on each new
cloth with free hand designs and accents.
In addition to wood pattern
boards, leaf pattern boards were also used in the past, but their
popularity drastically declined by the 1920s. While some leaf pattern
upeti have recently been produced in Samoa, they are not used for
making siapo, but rather are sold for decorative purposes. Leaf
upeti are created from pandanus leaves onto which surface designs
are applied. These designs are created from carefully arranged coconut
midribs and various small pieces of wood that are sewn onto the
pandanus surface with plant fibers. The flexible leaf upeti is then
secured to a wooden support panel for the rubbing process. When
bark cloth is placed over the leaf upeti and rubbed with dye, the
cloth picks up the raised designs underneath. The design created
from a leaf upeti tends to be a more complex web of decoration since
the raised areas of design are thin and delicate. The intricate
designs created from leaf upeti rubbings stand in stark contrast
to the bolder color blocks created from wooden upeti.
It is
likely that wooden upeti gradually replaced leaf
upeti due to the greater durability of wood. One
result of this transition was the introduction of
men into the process. Traditionally, Samoan men
worked in hard materials and women worked in soft
materials. Therefore, while the leaf upeti, like
siapo itself, was the sole creation of women in the
past, the introduction of wood upeti required the
skills of a man. While some women choose to carve
their own upeti today, many still rely on husbands
or other male family members to create new boards.
Regardless of the carver's gender, wood upeti
designs have stayed well within the traditional
design range. Moreover, it is the second layer of
free hand design that provides siapo artists with
the greatest potential for artistic
creativity.
In the past, siapo was worn
for both everyday and ceremonial dress, used for formal presentations
and gift exchange, and to wrap a corpse before burial. In addition,
siapo had more domestic functions, such as creating house dividers
and bed covers, and worn out pieces of siapo were used for more
general household purposes. While imported fabrics have replaced
many of these functions, siapo continues to be worn as ceremonial
clothing and is often included in formal presentations and gift
exchanges. Siapo is also used for decorative purposes, such as tablecloths,
and has been further "transformed" into a fine art, primarily due
to the efforts of aremarkable woman named Mary Pritchard.
Mary Jewett Pritchard (1905
- 1992) learned the art of siapo in Leone, Tutuila, in the 1920s.
At that time Leone had become a creative center of siapo production,
guided by the artist Kolone Fai'ivae Leoso, who pioneered the incorporation
of multiple colors (red, yellow, brown and black) within a single
siapo design. Mary, who learned from Kolone, believed this new color
inspiration, as well as her new approach to line and overall design,
stemmed from Kolone's contemplation of the colorful stained glass
windows in Leone's London Missionary Society Church (now the Congregational
Christian Church). Kolone's new and vibrant siapo style, popularized
in the 1920s, was an important stimulus in the development of Mary's
own unique style that began to form in 1929 when she made her first
siapo. Mary quickly became a master
of free hand siapo (siapo mamanu). Her detailed designs and singular
sense of color created an easily recognizable style. In addition
to her refined sense of design composition, Mary also began to reinvent
how siapo was presented. One of her most enduring innovations was
in the mounting of siapo. Following the traditional decorative process,
bark cloth is temporarily affixed to a hard surface, such as a board,
and removed when the painting is finished. Around 1970, however,
Mary Pritchard chose to leave some of her decorated siapo affixed
to boards. Eventually Mary decided plywood panels up to 1/2 thick
was most suitable. She would also apply a clear polymer (rather
than natural glaze) over the finished piece for protection and added
sheen, and paint any exposed plywood or undecorated bark cloth on
the back and sides black with the same natural dyes she used to
create her designs.
And so it
came to be that Mary Pritchard ended up creating a
new "style" of siapo that many of her students
continue to emulate. Since the inherent structure
of Mary's mounted siapo precluded it from being
used in most "traditional" ways, the art world was
forced to evaluate Mary's work solely on artistic
merits, and it soon came to be defined as "fine
art." Mary's unique vision and style dazzled art
critics, and her artistic reputation went
international. Mary was also a remarkable advocate
for the future of siapo. She spent endless hours
teaching siapo production and design techniques in
Samoan schools, as well as abroad, to ensure the
longevity of the art form. While Mary died in 1992,
her legacy continues to be present in the works of
her many students, and especially in the siapo
created by many of her children, grandchildren and
other members of her extended family.
"Worn with Pride: Celebrating Samoan Artistic
Heritage" was curated by Teri Sowell, Ph.D.
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