Do you see how I see?Many ghosts in the afterglow of sunset nights
Nature’s beauty lost by the loss of human rights
Daughters deserted, mothers are murdered: the women of First Nations
The afterglow is filled with all of our relations
Do you see how I see?In the final part of the Tapa Cloth Making series we take a look at what the dyes are made of. In line with the previous parts of this series it is unsurprising that the pigments are taken from plants or earth. The part I found interesting about this video was actually something that Mum said was just “common sense really” as traditional Pacific art was of course based on the resources at hand. However, I still found it fascinating that the different Islands used different colours based on the different kinds of earth or plants they had available – E.g Ochre to make yellow and oranges from New Guinea and Hawaii and Blue from Indigo in the Solomon Islands and Red from the Loa tree in Samoa. I can’t figure out now, why I would believe that it was a colour preference… How fun does the squeezing of the bark look?
How impressive is it that so much stuff can be made from a simple coconut?
The traditional process is long and time consuming, but for those who admire tapa you will know that it is a process worthwhile when you see the finished product and one that is definitely worth learning if you are fortunate enough to have people to teach you. The key here, being PEOPLE as the process cannot really be taught by an individual. As you will see in this video the making of tapa is a collaborative effort. In part 4 of this series, see the how the Tapa cloth is dyed and painted and the number of ladies required to sit and work on a single Tapa.
I come from the Cook Islands, in particular Rarotonga so the sound of drumming is for dancing and comes from the Pate. In Tonga, the sound of drumming can come from the beating of Mulberry in the making of Tapa cloth. Who knew? I’m gonna be honest and say that I didn’t.
I am always impressed by the work that goes into the Tapa and this series unfolds I too enjoy learning something new. In this video, see how a single piece of bark is beaten, layered and joined. My favourite part is watching how the tiniest blemish on the bark of the tree after being beaten out ends up being a large tear in the cloth and the women will painstakingly patch and repair every tear with…a local starchy potato. THAT is resourceful!