Vol 3 Test 4 Part 3

Section three.

You will hear a discussion between a student called Helen and her tutor about an assignment that Helen is working on.

First, you have some time to look at questions 21 to 24 on page five.

Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 to 24.

Tutor: Come in, Helen. How can I help you?

Helen: Well, I'm doing research for the anthropology assignment, and I was hoping to check a few details.

Tutor: Sure. You chose the topic of Pacific Island tapa cloth, didn't you? What have you found out so far?

Helen: Well, I was going to introduce my assignment by saying that tapa cloth is a fabric made from bark, just the outer layer of trees.

Helen: It's particularly common in the Pacific Islands, but not exclusive to them. In fact, many other peoples around the world have made high-quality cloth from bark.

Helen: But what sets Pacific tapa apart is the incredible variety of roles it's played in this region.

Tutor: Yes, nice introduction, though I think you could be more specific regarding dates.

Helen: Okay. So what about the raw materials used?

Helen: Well, tapa cloth is made from several species of tree in the Pacific. The paper mulberry tree is the most common, but it doesn't thrive in all conditions.

Helen: In fact, it wasn't originally found in the islands but was carried in canoes by the first migrants.

Helen: Tapa is also made from the breadfruit tree, which is convenient because its fruit is a staple food.

Helen: The paper mulberry tree is only grown for tapa making now.

Tutor: Yes, that's good. Now, what about the Maori people here in New Zealand?

Helen: But the Maori don't make tapa now.

Tutor: That's right, and you need to account for it.

Helen: We know that when the Maori migrated here from other Pacific islands, they were prepared to make tapa because they brought the paper mulberry tree with them.

Helen: The thing was, after they'd been in New Zealand for a while, they found the flax plant, which is superior to tapa because it makes a stronger fabric.

Helen: By the time Europeans arrived in the 18th century, Maori were making all their fabric from flax and had been for some time.

Tutor: Okay. So with the production process itself, first the inner bark is beaten with wooden hammers to soften the fibres.

Tutor: Then the different pieces are glued together using an adhesive paste made from the arrowroot tuber.

Tutor: This is the only way to fabricate large pieces of cloth because bark strands are too fine to be woven together and stitching isn't strong enough.

Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 25 to 30 on page six.

Now listen and answer questions 25 to 30.

Tutor: So now you need details about different countries.

Helen: I think Samoa is the obvious place.

Helen: It's famous for its very fine cloth called siapo, which is hand-painted with representations of ancestors.

Helen: Still today, at the most profound events in life such as births, funerals, weddings, and the investiture of chiefs, siapo moments are used to add significance and meaning to the ceremony.

Tutor: Okay.

Helen: Then I could talk about Tonga.

Helen: It seems to me that the great innovation in Tonga has been developing a simple coarse cloth which is quick and easy to make.

Helen: This is suitable for all sorts of everyday functions around the house, like bed covers, mosquito nets, and curtains.

Tutor: Good point. Now, what about Cook Islands tapa?

Helen: Well, the soil there is poor quality, so the breadfruit tree is often used.

Helen: One type of thick cloth called tea kaura was wrapped around poles and used to mark the entrances to places of worship, so it was highly regarded in local culture.

Tutor: You might mention Fiji as well.

Tutor: It's interesting because tapa was actually used as a currency there.

Tutor: Fiji was used to sail between islands and exchange tapa for other commodities like canoes or pigs.

Helen: I know that in Tahiti, the type of cloth is different because the patterns are in colour, which is considered more valuable than the usual brown patterns.

Tutor: You're right about the Tahitians using coloured pigments, but they aren't more valuable.

Tutor: The colours are only a decoration. People enjoy wearing bright robes, especially for dancing and competitive games.

Helen: Oh, I'll make a note of that.

Helen: Well, the last place I was going to mention was Papua New Guinea.

Helen: Even today it's commonplace to see people wearing clothes made of tapa cloth, whereas in many other islands tapa only comes out on special occasions.

Helen: But here you see people working in the gardens wearing tapa.

Tutor: Sounds promising, Helen. I'll look forward to reading your assignment.

That is the end of section three.

You now have half a minute to check your answers.

Now turn to section four on page seven.