'Ie Samoa, fine mat and its cultural value

Overview

The ‘Ie Samoa is a special finely hand-woven mat fastened at the hem with two rows of green and red feathers, and a loose fringe on one end. Traditionally woven with fine strippings of the pandanus plant, the final product is silk-like. Its shiny coppery colour adds to its value as it is a testament to its age and the natural bleaching process it undergoes. The production process involves a high level of intricacy as each woven strand is as little as one millimeter wide. Producing a single ‘Ie Samoa can therefore take up to several months and even years. Nevertheless, the ‘Ie Samoa is more than a cultural product involving exceptional skill; its true value lies in its use as an object of exchange in traditional ceremonies and rituals that reaffirm kinship ties and strengthen community wellbeing. The ‘Ie Samoa is displayed and exchanged at festive celebrations or on important gatherings...

This record is imported from the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage public dataset as discovery metadata. ARED has not independently verified community authority, access protocols or local naming beyond the source record.

Community and Authority

Communities: Samoa
Languages: Not specified in UNESCO dataset
Cultural territories: Samoa
Countries: Samoa

How the System Works

Music, Performance and Oral Literature Material Culture, Design and Technology Ways of Knowing and Knowledge Transmission

Sources and Evidence

Imported from UNESCO DataHub dataset ich001. Field-level provenance is retained in the record metadata.

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage ListsDataset

Open original source record

Field-Level Provenance

title: UNESCO DataHub field title_en
preferredTitle: UNESCO DataHub field title_fr
summary: UNESCO DataHub field description_en
type: UNESCO DataHub fields type_of_element_en and type_acronym
countries: UNESCO DataHub field countries, ISO codes resolved with ISO-3166 regional metadata
categories: ARED category inference from UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names and title
relationships: UNESCO concepts_primary_names, concepts_secondary_names, type fields and World Heritage links
sourceUrl: UNESCO DataHub field http_url_en
rights: UNESCO DataHub dataset metadata license and license_url

Original Source Metadata

uuidd7d5932f-7ecb-4744-871d-0c6e1c1caf65

ich_public_ref1499

inscription_year2019

title_en'Ie Samoa, fine mat and its cultural value

title_frLe 'ie Samoa, ou natte fine, et sa valeur culturelle

type_of_element_enRepresentative List

type_acronymRL

countriesWS

http_url_enhttps://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/01499

concepts_primary_namesCraft workers, Weaving

concepts_secondary_namesAristocracy, Conflict resolution, Dance, Family, Funeral, Nonformal education, Social gathering, Social inclusion, Technical skills, Wedding

main_image_urlhttps://ich.unesco.org/img/photo/thumb/12841-LRG.jpg

main_image_caption_enMaster weaver Vilelava Vaipae from Lepuia'i Manono was instrumental in the revitalization of 'ie Samoa. As one of the last known weavers of the traditional 'ie Samoa, she accompanied the Women in Business Development Inc. (WIBDI) trainers to introduce the art to women around the nation.

main_image_copyrightWomen in Business Developmnet Inc., Samoa, 2004

main_image_authorNot supplied

videos

images[object Object], [object Object], [object Object]

Why This Record Is Credible

This public record is connected to 1 source and has been labelled Source Supported. ARED separates evidence sources from cultural authority so users can see both provenance and review limits.

Cultural Access

Use this as public discovery metadata only. It does not replace community authority or local access protocols.

Relationships

Craft workers Weaving Aristocracy Conflict resolution Dance Family Funeral Nonformal education Social gathering Social inclusion UNESCO representative list

Review and Corrections

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