Public Lecture: Masi Fijian bark cloth and social identity

Bark-cloth or masi (widely called tapa by Westerners) is one of the most culturally significant traditional arts of the women of Fiji. Many other Fijian art forms have declined or disappeared, and masi is no longer produced in many places where it once was. Its utilitarian functions have been almost totally usurped by Western cloth and paper, yet its production is flourishing in those places that were historically specialist producers. They provide the whole of Fiji with one of the most valued, often indispensable, signifiers of Fijian-ness. This talk will discuss this persistence, from its earliest beginnings through its importance in most aspects of Fijian life — humble, social and profoundly spiritual. It will discuss the impact of the introduction of Christianity on masi’s form and use, its transformation and re-interpretation, through to its emergence in the high-fashion industry of today’s Fiji.   

Photo: Chiefly brother and sister in ceremonial masi dress, Vatulele, 1993. Image: Rod Ewins