Poetry / Siapo under siege

Inner bark imperfections spoil
Samoans had no mats
Arrives a Fijian dowry
Siapo mamanu
Siapo ‘upeti
Smooth wooden beaters
Dyes sapped from trees

She was a stately woman
Seldom speaking, often inspired
I remember watching her
Dividing space, placing symbols
Rubbing dye from o’a
Kolone Fai’ivae Leoso
Died in 1970

Awaiting a revival
Siapo going cheap
Old forgotten designs
Repeated and rearranged
On textured flat u’a
Twelve notes in an octave
Make a balanced mosaic

A woman makes a cut
One continuous strip
Sells decorated fabric
To tourists at the market
Siapo mamanu
Siapo ‘upeti no more
People will have what they like

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