Post #636307 by nui 'umi 'umi on Sun, May 13, 2012 4:42 PM

Hey Buzzy You are the supreme finder of stuff imho. Regarding the large tapa; I found a very similar piece in Reno last summer. The sellers were a military/surfer family - the lady was from Samoa and told us that her mother had made the tapa . She seemed reluctant to sell the piece. She was displaying her sale items on it. I'm guessing that because I was expressing an interest in southern and western Pacific items and culture she changed her mind as we were walking away and asked if I would pay ten bucks for it. I had a little "buyers remorse" when I got back to L.A. The tapa seemed to be made of a medium-weight canvas and you can see a very tight weave (everybody knows tapa is layers of pounded and glued Paper Mulberry bark ).Interestingly, my piece has the same undyed border,the same type numbers ( mine is #26 with blank squares on either side),and the 12" or so bar adjacent to the #. Any help/insight from the grand master would be much appreciated. Oh, please don't send me a bill- I have moved several times since you sent the last.
Thanks and Cheers
David, La Mirada,Ca