Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability

CAS Anthropology Collections Database


Catalog Number

CAS 0554-0001   CAS 0554-0001; Tapa cloth
Category Textiles
Object Name Tapa cloth
Culture Polynesian: Tongan
Global Region Oceania
Country Tonga
State/Prov./Dist.
County
Other Geographic Data Island: Tongatapu; Village near Nukualofa
Maker's Name Unknown
Date of Manufacture 1954
Collection Name N/A
Materials Paper mulberry bark; Native dyes
Description Rectangular tapa cloth made from strips of paper mulberry bark that have been beaten into thin sheets that are then overlapped to form a larger cloth; Design field is divided into 5 columns of equal width running the entire length of the cloth, and each column is subdivided into 4 rectangular blocks (one square block at each end and two elongated blocks toward the center); Smaller blocks at ends of cloth are decorated with paired diagonal bars of contiguous triangles; Larger elongated blocks are decorated with large Norfolk pine motifs, identified below with the words "HALA PAINI" (the avenue of Norfolk pines leading to the royal palace in Nukualofa), and 2 motifs (a row of ribbon-like motifs and a row of single-stemmed plants with teardrop shaped flowers) that represent the sisi, a grass skirt worn over a waist mat; Both motifs are identified with the words "KO E SISI 'O ULUKALALA" indicating the designs commemorate the sisi (woven skirt) of a member of the chiefly family; Orientation of designs in adjacent columns is rotated 180 degrees; Interspersed among the design motifs are large black dots, representing the fruit of the hea tree; All designs are imprinted in a dark brown color and then over-painted in a darker brown or black color; Only areas of the design motifs have been rubbed, so that the surrounding areas are left undecorated; Cloth is cut along both sides, but original measurement markings of "6", "8", and "10" remain along one end.
Dimensions (cm) Width = ca. 237.0, Length = ca. 428.0