Mat Item Number: 2947/3 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Large, finely-woven, tan mat. There are fringed borders along two of the mat’s sides. One fringed edge is additionally decorated with thin tan wood chips. These are sewn under a strip of red cloth, at the centre of which runs two lines of red-tipped feathers. These feathers are arranged with their brown centres towards the middle and their red tips pointing outwards creating the appearance of a set of stripes. There are two short lines of feathers running vertically up from border.

Specific Techniques

Pandanus is known as either laufala, laupaogo, or lau'ie, depending on what it’s being used for. When being used for weaving, pandanus leaves takes weeks to be prepared. The leaf is separated into its three layers (traditionally using a beetle wing, known as avi'ivi'I, or with a razor blade now). The leaves are rolled and beaten, soaked, and sun-dried multiples times. To make the leaf brighter, it’s bleached in salt water. When woven, these mats will be finished in the opposite corner of where the weaver started (-for example, the terminal braid in the bottom left corner means it was started in the top right corner). If no terminal braid was attached, the mat wasn’t finished. The feathers are mostly parrot: from the neck of a blue-crowned lorikeet (segavao, segasamoa) or a collared iory (segafiti, sega'ula). There is also one chicken feather dyed pink.

Item History

What

Name
Mat
Identification Number
2947/3
Type of Item
mat
Material
pandanus leaf, wood, cotton fibre, parrot feather and chicken feather
Overall
height 185.0 cm, width 184.0 cm, depth 4.5 cm

Who

Culture
Samoan
Previous Owner
Gordan Gowland
Received from
Gordan Gowland (Donor)

Where

Holding Institution
MOA: University of British Columbia
Made in
Samoa

When

Creation Date
during 1910
Ownership Date
before March 21, 2012
Acquisition Date
on March 21, 2012

Other

Item Classes
basketry
Condition
good
Accession Number
2947/0003