Details of buro'e - sap of the barige tree

Catalog Number : 28185
Size : 94cm x 61cm
Medium : natural pigments on nioge (barkcloth)
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The lines that run through this work are known as orriseege or 'pathways' and provide a compositional framework for the design. The repetitious, triangular design is called buro'e and represents the sap of the barige tree. This milky white sap is very important for traditional Omie customs and it is used for a variety of different purposes. The sap is scraped from the trunk of the barige tree from holes carved by wood-boring insects. In the time of the ancestors this sap was essential to create the black pigment barige which was used as ink for sor'e (tattooing) as well as for barkcloth painting. To create black pigment the sap is burnt under a flat stone or coconut shell which causes a build up of black charcoal. The charcoal is then scraped from the stone/shell. Buro'e sap is also dried and used to make candles. It is said that if there is a wild storm and you burn buro'e tree sap it will calm the storm. This is still practiced by the Omie elders.