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Samoan Material Culture

[introduction]

page 249

The term used for a garment is 'ofu. Pratt (23, p. 52) states it is derived from 'ofu, the wrapping of food in leaves. The term 'ofu is now used to denote garments of foreign material as is also 'ie which originally signified a garment commenced with a plaiting technique.

The garment for everyday wear was formerly the titi kilt made of ti (Cordyline) leaves. Early voyagers and missionaries confirm the statement of present day Samoans that it was the only garment worn during the day.

On ceremonial occasions, a greater variety of garments were used which accorded with the rank and status of the wearers. For dances, besides the use of colored ti leaves, simple kilts were made of pandanus leaves and strips of fau and fanga i'o bast. With fau bast, the strips suspended from waist cords were also plaited.

A higher development with fau bast, were the short kilts ('ie) with hanging fringes that were commenced by plaiting. These again developed into the roughly rectangular garments ('ie fau) with a fine plait and an outer covering of tags. The same technique with the bast of the fau pata produced the white shaggy garments ('ie sina). The fine mats made of narrow widths of pandanus and most valued of all, were the 'ie tonga. All the types of 'ie were worn as kilts or skirts and were the special garments of the higher classes on ceremonial occasions.

Bark cloth (siapo) provided change garments for the evenings or was worn by women of higher rank. It was also used for wraps and other purposes besides clothing, but it never took the place of ti leaf kilts as an ordinary garment.