StampNews.com is glad to inform that Niue Post is to release a special set of stamps depicting hiapo ‒ the Niuean word for tapa cloth. The issue consists of four stamps that was released on the 7th of April.
Hiapo is a traditional art form created by layering pieces of cloth and decorated with freehand artwork. Hiapo was a popular art form in the mid-to-late 19th century, and is currently experiencing a resurgence in Niue.
Hiapo is traditionally made from paper mulberry bark. Every hiapo is unique and tells a story, often representing the plant life and people of Niue. Owing to heavy influence of Samoan missionaries in the mid-1800s, Niuean hiapo has a distinct resemblance to Samoan tapa cloth from the same time period.