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THE MAGIC OF COULORS
 In reo maohi (Tahitian
language), tifaifai means to mend or to patch. The first European
missionaries, towards the end of the 18th century, brought
along fabrics an item at that time unknown in Polynesia. This materiel
remained scarce and even remnants were precious. In order to use these
cut-offs, the Polynesians learned to make patchwork that they adapted to
their taste.
The result was quite a
success and the technique was bit by bit improved. Remnants were no longer
satisfactory and with the development of commerce and imports, a larger
choice of cotton sheets in many colors became available and as a result,
bed covers and pillowcases have become a major element of Polynesian
interior decoration.
The tifaifai,
women’s work, was mostly developed in Tahiti although it is also found
on the Leeward Islands and more recently on the Tuamotu.
There are two kinds of tifaifai:
- is
built up from small slips of materiel sewn together
to form motifs, which are in general geometric (cross, rhombus,
star, wind rose etc.)
- The appliqué tifaifai is more typically Tahitian. Its
production consists of four steps (see hereafter).
 Normally the measurement of
a typical tifaifai is 3 m by 2,5. To produce it, one to four month
are needed and the price depending on the quality of the work, lies
between 30’000 and 120’000 Fcfp
THE 4 STEPS OF PRODUCTION
1 – DESIGN : until 1984,
the tifaifai were almost exclusively inspired by nature. The tailor choose
from about 20 flower motives such as: ape (arum), autu (hibiscus), hei
fara (pandanus), maire (fern), painapo (pineapple), pitate (jasmine), uru
(breadfruit), tiare tahiti (gardenia), rose etc. Those classic motifs are
reproduced with the help of templates or, sometimes freehand on sheets of
paper, sized at one quart of the final tifaifai.
Since 1984, with the growth
of handicrafts as a social economic development, more creative motifs
appear, nonetheless, the classic tifaifai remain most popular.
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