Titi fou

Titi fou. Skirt of lace bark. This is a hand woven titi (skirt) made from lau fou (lace bark). This titi fou is woven to wrap around the waist of the wearer and tied securely with braided cords of lau fou attached at the sides of the garment. The fou is dyed in purple, red, green and yellow fibres, with natural fibres also. A pompom of dyed-red fou is attached at either end of the waistband. The waistband is constructed in a ponapona technique (openwork knotting technique) bordered by 3-ply flat braiding in purple-dyed fibre. Fou is attached in loose bundles along the lower edge of the waistband to create the skirt. Titi fou are intended for wearing during dance performances and celebrations. According to Matafele Smith, fou is a resource that is plentiful and grows wild in Niue. In the process of preparing the fibre for weaving, the leaves are cut and bundled. They are then submerged in sea water held down with rocks for approximately seven days wherein the desired fibres loosen and then can be easily stripped away from the rest of the leaves.