The board is carved once, then read for generations
Kupesi designs are cut into a single plank of toa wood. One board can pattern a hundred cloths across a century.
Kupesi designs are cut into a single plank of toa wood. One board can pattern a hundred cloths across a century.
Koka bark yields a deep red-brown; tongo mangrove plus candlenut soot makes black. No third colour intrudes.
Cloth is laid over the carved board and dye is worked through with a rubbing pad. The image appears as texture, not as ink.
No two rubbings are identical. The slight grain, the pressure variance, the dye saturation — each cloth is a living record.