|
 The
technique of beating bark to make a vegetable fabric was
practised throughout Central America, South America,
Central Africa, Indonesia, and above all, the South
Pacific. Tapa from Tahiti had reached such a peak of
perfection that its reputation extended to all the
archipelagos. Its high quality ensured its survival when
it came into competition with the materials brought by the
first Europeans.
 Though
making tapa is a man's job in Melanesia, in Tahiti it
remained a woman's domain. However, before the women began
working, the men had had their share of responsibility.
They planted breadfruit shoots (the uru) and 'aute (Broussonetiapapyrifera),
the paper mulberry, which today has almost completely
disappeared. When the stalks of the mulberry reached an
inch in diameter, and those of the breadfruit, three
inches, theywere cut down. Once a sufficient quantity of
wood had been collected, they used to remove the bark
which had already been slit lengthwise, and lifted off
with the help of a stick.
Then the women took over. They left bundles of bark to
soak in a stream for two or three days so that they could
become more supple. Next, they scratched away the outside
bark with a sea-shell, retaining only the inside layer.
The inner side of the breadfruit bark is more easily
detached from the green part if it is bent and pulled off
in the same movement. The strips are placed one on top of
the other on an anvil made of a tree trunk, and the
hammering begins.
 The
square-cut beater has four sides and these are carved with
grooves that become progressively finer and closer
together. Women use this tool observing the effects
produced by each side, thus improving the quality of their
work.
Once the bark has become almost pulpy, it can be hammered
very thin or placed layer upon layer to get a thicker tapa.
Work proceeds in rhythm to the sound of measured chants.
The resulting fabric, which can be almost white in the
case of the mulberry, is then dried. Tapa were used mostly
in their natural state, but some of them were partially or
completely dyed red or yellow. The red colour was obtained
by mixing the juice of the mati with the sap of tou leaves
(q.v. trees). The rea gave a deep yellow and the nono a
paler one. The aito bark provided a fine reddish-brown
dye. Later on, impressions of ferns or leaves from certain
trees were printed on some tapa.
Besides being used for clothes, tapa played another role
in society. When a couple were married, the bloodstains
were to be left on a great white tapa and the stained area
was buried on the marae. As we have already seen, it was
used in the course of religious and funeral rites. Being a
symbol of wealth, tapa was also linked \with the offering
and exchange of gifts.
|
