Catalog Number
|
Catalog Number |
CAS 1990-0006-0001 | |
| Category | Textiles | |
| Object Name | Tapa cloth | |
| Culture | Polynesian: Tongan | |
| Global Region | Oceania | |
| Country | Tonga | |
| State/Prov./Dist. | ||
| County | ||
| Other Geographic Data | unknown | |
| Maker's Name | Unknown | |
| Date of Manufacture | ca. 1920s | |
| Collection Name | N/A | |
| Materials | Paper mulberry bark; Native dyes | |
| Description | Very large rectangular tapa cloth made from strips of mulberry bark that have been beaten into thin sheets, which were then overlapped to form a larger cloth; A background of narrow parallel brown lines indicates the cloth was prepared on worktable that was strung with sennit cord; Design field is divided into 20 rectangular panels arranged in 4 columns and 5 rows; Each row of panels includes 2 narrow panels and a slightly wider panel in the center and along each side; One column of narrow panels is decorated with a motif that resembles a belt with 3 discs on a double chain; The other column of narrow panels is decorated alternately with violin and guitar motifs; In the columns of wider panels, each panel is decorated with one of three different motifs representing hand fans, interspersed by large black dots, representing the fruit of the hea tree; All designs have been stamped onto cloth, probably using a wooden kupesi or rubbing tablet, and then they have been over-painted on front face of cloth; On the narrow panels only the areas around the motifs were rubbed, leaving the surrounding areas a natural off-white color, while on the wider panels the entire area was rubbed, transferring both the motif and the background pattern of parallel lines from the cordage wrapping; "KOE LETA O MALIA MOE KITA" is repeated 2 1/2 times as part of the design along one side of cloth, referring to the belt (leta) and guitar (kita) motifs; Cloth has been cut along all four sides from much larger cloth. | |
| Dimensions (cm) | Width = 169.0, Length = 237.0 | |