FUN FIJI FACTS 11

MASI

“The Cloth of the Gods”

Masi (also known as tapa), is a fibrous cloth made from the inner bark of the masi tree (aka the mulberry tree) and decorated with stenciled geometric motifs. Traditionally masi was only worn by the man in everyday life, while it was worn by women for special ceremonies or weddings. Today masi is worn by both men and women for weddings or significant birthdays. It is also used to wrap up a newborn baby when taken home from the hospital, or to cover a coffin and spread across the grave.

Masi cloth made today is put into two categories: traditional and decorative. Traditional masi uses motifs that have special meanings and can be read by the Fijian people like a story. Those familiar with this motifs can often identify the area of Fiji the cloth came from and who made it. Decorative masi are primarily produced for the tourists to be used as mats and woven bags. Decorative masi is not viewed by the Fijian people as any lesser an art form because it is produced to provide valuable income to its maker.

The process of making the masi begins with harvesting four mature masi trees. Then women peel the bark off the tree first by using their teeth, then a sharp knife. The bark is discarded and the remaining soft, pale core (the lewena) is then beaten into a fibrous cloth. Beating the core takes hours and women often have their own distinctive rhythmic beat while they labor away.

The dyes used in the stenciling process are all natural. The brown dye comes from the inner bark of the mangrove tree by scraping the outer layers off, then taking the remains and soaking and boiling the bark. The black dye is made from soot, umea clay and juice from the kesa tree. Kesa juice is produce in the same manner as the brown dye; the inner bark is pealed from the kesa tree and boiled. Umea clay is a deep brown soil that is mixed into both dyes to act as an fixative, making the dye stick to the bark cloth.

The geometric motifs are applied to the cloth using a process unique to Fiji, from the outer edges of the cloth inward to the center. In modern times, x-ray film is used for the stencils, but a more traditional method used the leaves of a banana tree. Many of the designs are from animal or plant images, or such items as the iseru, a traditional Fijian comb symbolizing you are prepared for special occasions and ready to receive guests into your home.

Known as the “cloth of the gods”, an unprinted piece of masi would be hung from the ceiling of the village chief’s hut as a way for the chief or high priest to communicate with the gods. The masi worn by the chief had a distinctively deep red color to it made during a long ritualistic process where the color was obtained by smoking the cloth or soaking it in blood red dye. The prestigious masi garments are said to hold the chief’s essence and that of his ancestors.

“Masi contains the spirit of the land it comes from, the tree it was once part of and it also contains the essence of the women who beat the cloth and decorate it.” - Catherine Spicer, “Fiji Masi – An Acient Art in the New Millenium”, 2004.

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