Material: barkcloth & dye or pigment

Size: Textile #1: 7 ft 9 inches x 6 ft.   Textile #2: 11 ft 5 inches x 6 ft

 

First, take a minute or two to look closely at the images above. Write down your reaction to these objects--what details do you notice? Why did you pick these objects for your response paper? Make notes on things that you notice about them. Also, write down any questions you have about them--what kinds of things would you want to know about these objects? Remember the questions we ask in class. You don't need to have answers for these questions yet, but keep them in your notes.

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Once you have some questions written down, try to answer them by reading the information I've provided below about this object and its context.​

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What do we know about these objects?​

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Textile #1: A resident of the island of Fiji, Kerela Imanueli, made this textile (called a masi) for her daughter. Eventually, it was given to her granddaughter Ruve Tuivoavoa and Ruve's husband as a wedding gift to be placed on the bridal bed. It was purchased by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa from Ruve Tuivoavoa in 1998. A uniquely Fijian technique of stencilling was used to create the fine, intricate pattern of repeat motifs on this masi.

 

Textile #2: From Samoa. Samoan barkcloth is made from the bark of the u`a or paper mulberry tree. It is decorated using dyes made from a variety of trees and plants. The brown dyes come from several sources, the first being the bark of the o`a tree. Scrapings of bark from this tree produce a reddish brown colour. Other sources of brown were the mangrove tree and the candlenut tree. A source of red-brown colouring was an earth ochre called `ele. It is not found every where in Samoa and in the past was traded quite widely throughout the archipelago. This textile was decorated by an artist painting freehand onto the barkcloth. The decoration and symbols are inspired by plants and animals. These are painted on with a little brush made from a dried pandanus fruit or something similar.

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If you still have questions, it may also help you to review the lecture video about the textile arts of the Pacific, where I talked about some of the ways these cloths are used in Pacific societies.

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Some things to consider in your response paper:​

• What was your response to these objects? What drew your eye? What do you like about them, or dislike? You are encouraged to use first person (I/me) in your response paper. I want to know what you think.

• Consider the artistic details of these objects carefully. What kinds of decisions did the artists make when they were creating these pieces, and why? Use your art terminology. 

• Place this object into its historical and cultural context. How were these cloths used? Particularly for textile #1, where we know something about its use, try to imagine what this textile might have meant to its owners. 

• We haven't looked too much at woven crafts in this class, in part because we often look at very ancient periods, and textiles tend to decay and disintegrate easily. However, they are an important form of art in many cultures, often produced by women working at home. Do you have any textiles that are important heirlooms or possessions for you or your family? Tell me about them!