Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability

CAS Anthropology Collections Database


Catalog Number CAS 2006-0003-0012   CAS 2006-0003-0012; Tapa cloth
Category Textiles
Object Name Tapa cloth
Culture Polynesian: Fijian
Global Region Oceania
Country Fiji
State/Prov./Dist.
County
Other Geographic Data unknown
Maker's Name Unknown
Date of Manufacture ca. 1973
Collection Name N/A
Materials Mulberry bark; Vegetal dyes
Description Rectangular tapa cloth made from strips of mulberry bark that have been beaten into thin sheets that are then overlapped and pasted together to form larger sheets; This particular cloth appears to be made almost entirely from a single sheet of bark, with an additional pieced strip added along one long side; Overall design consists of a series of concentric rectangles that fill the entire design field; Each rectangle is outlined in heavy black lines and filled in with stamped repeating geometric motifs (diamonds, X’s, and straight lines) in either black or brown, alternating positive and negative motifs; White gummed paper label on reverse is stamped “MADE IN FIJI ISLANDS”; All four edges of cloth have been cut.
Dimensions (cm) Width = 61.9, Length = 94.3