Barkcloth
| Culture | Samoan |
|---|---|
| Title | Barkcloth (Siapo, Tapa) |
| Date | 1930–1950 |
| Medium | Barkcloth and pigment |
| Dimensions | Object: 57 × 50 in. (144.8 × 127 cm) Overall: 57 x 50 in. (144.8 x 127 cm) |
| Credit Line | Gift of Mrs. Edward J. Kempf, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 73.83.9 |
| This artwork is currently off display. You may be able to see this artwork by filling out an art viewing room request. | |
There is a full boarder or undecorated cloth and then a repeated motif is used four times from top to bottom and six times from left to right.
In Samoa the word tapa is used specifically to refer to the undecorated border of the bark cloth, and the decorated portion is known as siapo. Siapo can be decorated through the use of a design board and the rubbing of dye or through a method known as siapo mamanu, freehand painting.
Pieces of siapo are often divided into a grid pattern, which here features a slight variation in patterning. This piece contains a grid of six columns and four rows filled with geometric motifs. While some of these motifs have been given names, their history is not fully understood.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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Cite this page
"Barkcloth | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=73.83.9