Samoa: Upeti Woodblock Team Print Circle for Shared Values

Upeti Woodblock Team Print Circle for Shared Values, Samoa

Context

In Sāmoa, pattern isn’t just decoration; it is memory. For centuries, Samoans have impressed designs onto siapo (barkcloth) using carved design tablets called ‘upeti, a process known as siapo ‘elei (pronounced oo‑PEH‑tee and eh‑LEH‑ee). The National Park Service notes two core techniques: siapo ‘elei, which uses an ‘upeti to transfer a motif by rubbing dye through the cloth, and siapo mamanu, where artists draw freehand, and this chapter uses Samoan orthography with the ‘okina and macrons with pronunciations at first use. The motifs themselves, such as starfish (fa‘a‘ave‘au), trochus shell (fa‘a‘ali‘ao), and pandanus leaves, encode daily life, land, and sea, and names may vary by maker so verify terms with your facilitator. *

As European fabric spread in the 19th–20th centuries, Samoans adapted siapo methods to textiles, creating ‘elei, a distinctive local printmaking tradition with a documented shift to carved wooden ‘upeti la‘au in the early 20th century and later stencil use, while keeping the ‘upeti at its core. Museum collections and scholarship trace the evolution from vegetal tablets to wooden ‘upeti la‘au in the early 1900s, linking modern ‘elei to older siapo techniques. * *

Today ‘elei is living culture taught in workshops and community programs and used for both art and enterprise, with roles and practices varying across women’s groups, family ateliers, tourism studios, and diaspora workshops in American Sāmoa. The Ministry of Education has supported public elei workshops to pass knowledge between generations, and local artisans continue to innovate with color and format. *

Meet the Company/Cultural Tradition

Rather than a single corporation, this chapter spotlights a living Samoan craft that organizations can, and increasingly do, book as a facilitated group experience: the Upeti Elei Print Circle. In Apia’s hills, the Tiapapata Art Centre hosts adult workshops (including elei printmaking) and private group bookings for workshops and seminars in a gallery–studio complex that can seat up to 120 people. The centre explicitly offers on-demand adult workshops with a minimum of six participants and provides materials, studio space, and facilitation. That makes it a practical, commercial venue for teams to learn and co-create together. * *

Tiapapata is part of a broader ecosystem. The Samoa Cultural Village, operated by the Samoa Tourism Authority in central Apia, runs interactive cultural programs where visitors can observe and learn elements of Samoan material culture, including elei/printing, carving, siapo, and more, demonstrating that printmaking is an established, bookable cultural activity in the capital. Many organizations planning conferences and retreats in Sāmoa include such sessions through venue coordinators or event planners, and they should prioritize Samoan‑run venues and practitioner direction on content and timing. * * *

Culturally, an ‘upeti session is more than arts and crafts and should be guided by Samoan practitioners who set appropriate boundaries and explain what is suitable for visitors and corporate groups. Museum and academic sources tie the technique directly to Sāmoa’s heritage of siapo ‘elei and ‘upeti printing boards, and you should include practitioner perspectives that may diverge on motif meanings and appropriate outputs to avoid flattening living debates. * *

The Ritual

Minute	What Happens	Why It Bonds
0–5	Welcome and motif briefing: facilitator shows an upeti and explains 3–4 common Samoan motifs (e.g., starfish/fa‘a‘ave‘au, trochus shell/fa‘a‘ali‘ao), plus etiquette on respectful symbol use.	Grounds the activity in local meaning; creates shared vocabulary. *
5–15	Small teams pick a “team value” word and select an upeti board that fits it; quick layout sketch on scrap fabric.	Forces alignment on values before execution; light planning without overthinking.
15–35	First print run: teams ink the upeti surface and rub the cloth to transfer patterns; roles rotate (holder, inker, rub-in artist, quality checker).	Turn-taking and tactile collaboration; everyone contributes to a single artifact. *
35–45	Inspect and iterate: discuss what to change; add a second pass or border using a different upeti/stencil.	Safe, fast feedback loop; visible improvement in one cycle.
45–55	Micro-gallery walk: teams hang prints; each person names one colleague’s micro-contribution they noticed.	Peer recognition anchored to the artifact, not titles.
55–60	Closing “press”: a final small shared print (postcard or notebook cover) everyone takes back to desk.	Tangible memento that re-cues the story at work.

Outputs are purposely non-wearable (banners, notebook covers, wall hangings) to focus on shared symbolism and avoid fashion deliverables, and must-keep elements include a Samoan facilitator, non-wearable outputs, a pre‑brief on motif meanings and exclusions, and a credit line on the artifact, while timing, language, venue setup, and pod size/role rotation can adapt. Sessions run as 60-minute stand-alones or 90-minute deeper dives, with Tiapapata offering adult workshops on demand for groups. *

Why It Works

‘Elei can turn abstract values into shared, physical form. When four colleagues align on a motif and literally press it into cloth, they perform consensus, coordination, and care: skills their day jobs demand but rarely ritualize. The steady, focused rhythm (inking, holding, rubbing) may reduce status differences, and the quality‑check pass invites candid critique without the pressure of a formal presentation. ‘Upeti boards are a Samoan printmaking technology with a documented lineage from siapo ‘elei, and meanings and methods vary by maker and era, so cultural resonance depends on practitioner leadership rather than on the activity alone. Museum and heritage sources underscore that upeti and siapo ‘elei are authentic to Samoa’s design history, so teams are participating in a living practice, not a themed gimmick. * *

Mechanism in brief: inputs (local craft and a shared artifact) combine with ritual elements (opt‑in role rotation, tactile synchrony, peer recognition, and a visible gallery) to activate mechanisms (social identity, coordination, reciprocity, and cue‑based memory) that can support proximal outcomes (belonging and balanced voice) and distal outcomes (coordination and trust). A small wall hanging by the printer or reception desk can become a daily cue to the agreement the team forged together and a memory anchor that outlasts a one‑off workshop.

Outcomes & Impact

‘Elei workshops in Sāmoa are used for skills transfer and inclusion well beyond tourism. Local programs have trained unemployed youth to generate income through ‘elei printing, illustrating the craft’s accessibility while acknowledging that the pace from novice to producer varies by program and participant. That accessibility is one reason the ritual can be promising for cross‑functional teams, as many groups can reach visible progress together in under an hour with skilled facilitation. *

Public institutions also deploy elei and upeti to keep knowledge circulating: workshops by Samoa’s Ministry of Education and community colleges (in neighboring American Samoa) have taught printing and upeti basics to seniors, disability employment participants, and broader community cohorts. For organizations, that signals a practical, culturally grounded medium to convene mixed‑ability groups when designed with accessibility, consent, and sensory‑safe materials. * *

On the corporate operations side, Tiapapata Art Centre’s adult workshops and private group bookings make it feasible to plan sessions, but treat the first cycle as a 6–8 week pilot with 2–3 sessions for 2–4 teams, avoid peak business cycles, plan a loaded time cost of 60–90 minutes per person plus local facilitator/materials fees, name clear roles (program owner, facilitator, comms, and data/consent steward), and map mechanisms to one business metric such as coordination quality (e.g., handoff defects per sprint) with a baseline and readout cadence. The ritual works best co‑located in pods of 4–6 with roughly a 1:10 facilitator ratio and scales by running multiple pod stations rather than one all‑hands session, with remote participants supported via mailed kits and an asynchronous gallery. * *

Lessons for Global Team Leaders

Principle	Why It Matters	How to Translate
Use a local, living craft	Authenticity boosts engagement and respect for place	Pick an intact tradition with active practitioners (e.g., elei via upeti) rather than a theme-night
Make one artifact together	Shared ownership cements belonging	Produce a banner/notebook cover everyone signs on the back
Rotate roles	Inclusion by design beats “loudest voice wins”	Assign holder/inker/rubber/QC and rotate each pass
Anchor in meaning	Motifs carry story	Brief three motifs and link each to a team value before printing
Keep it non-wearable	Avoid fashion deliverables	Choose wall hangings, team flags, or covers—no apparel

Implementation Playbook

Book a facilitator. Contact Tiapapata Art Centre for an adult workshop (min. six people) or arrange a private group session; confirm ‘upeti availability and materials, complete Legal/HR review, and publish a one‑page brief covering why now, voluntary opt‑out, accessibility, cultural credit, and photo/feedback retention details. * *
Decide outputs. Select non‑wearable items (banners, notebook covers, desk cards) to keep focus on shared symbolism rather than clothing, and agree in advance that prints will not be reproduced as merchandise or overlaid with corporate logos without a license.
Brief the motifs. Share a one‑pager on siapo ‘elei and ‘upeti with pronunciations and verified motif glosses, include a facilitator‑approved list of restricted or sacred motifs to avoid, and explain attribution and benefit‑sharing. *
Run the 60–90 minute circle with seated stations, fragrance‑free water‑based inks, gloves if desired, good ventilation, and pods of 4–6 at roughly a 1:10 facilitator ratio. Follow the step-by-step table; offer opt-in role rotation with observer/curator alternatives, time‑box iterations, and allow participants to take a break at any point without penalty.
Do a micro-gallery. Hang prints; invite one sentence of peer recognition per person; take artifacts-only photos by default with optional face-photo opt-in, record consent and a data owner, and delete all images after no more than 90 days unless renewed consent is given.
Install the artifact. Mount the team print in a shared space with a plaque that credits siapo ‘elei/‘upeti origins and the named practitioner or studio (for example, “Printed with [practitioner], Tiapapata Art Centre, Apia, Sāmoa”), and do not reproduce the design for apparel or sales without a license.
Run a time‑boxed pilot before any rollout by testing 2–4 teams over 6–8 weeks with 2–3 sessions, set success thresholds (+0.3/5 on brief psych‑safety and belonging scales, ≥80% voluntary participation, ≥70% balanced turn‑taking), and define stop rules (any safety or consent incident, <40% opt‑in, or a drop in team safety pulse). Build a sequence of motifs (service, safety, innovation, care) and create a corridor of culture.

Common Pitfalls

Treating motifs as clip art. Some symbols carry specific cultural weight; use facilitator guidance and avoid sacred iconography.
Turning it into souvenir shopping. Keep outputs non-wearable and collective to avoid sliding into “fashion merch.”
Over-instruction. Hands‑on practice matters; limit slides and let a steady, focused rhythm support collaboration.
Skipping the gallery moment. Without shared reflection and display, the artifact’s team-binding power drops.

Reflection & Call to Action

Teams remember what their hands learn together. Sāmoa’s ‘upeti ‘elei can offer a mix of meaning, tactility, and speed, and in about an hour your people may align on a value, stamp it into being, and create a visible reminder when led by local practitioners. If you’re convening in Apia, book a session with a Samoan‑run facilitator; if you’re elsewhere, do not reproduce Samoan motifs or ‘upeti without Samoan practitioner leadership and licensing, and instead adapt the structure with a local living craft led by local artists with fair compensation, co‑designed agendas, and practitioner decision‑making. Culture is what we make and keep in common.