Catalog Number
|
Catalog Number |
CAS 2006-0014-0001 | |
| Category | Textiles | |
| Object Name | Tapa cloth | |
| Culture | Polynesian: Tongan | |
| Global Region | Oceania | |
| Country | Tonga | |
| State/Prov./Dist. | unknown | |
| County | ||
| Other Geographic Data | unknown | |
| Maker's Name | Unknown | |
| Date of Manufacture | ca. 1970s | |
| Collection Name | N/A | |
| Materials | Mulberry bark; Dyes | |
| Description | Large rectangular tapa cloth made from strips of mulberry bark which have been beaten into long thin sheets which, in turn, have been overlapped to form an even larger sheet; Design field is divided into a series of rectangular blocks arranged in 11 columns and 6 rows; All blocks in a single column are hand painted with the same design or motif; The center column contains a diamond motif repeated over and over, bordered by the words, “KOE HALA PAINI [referring to the Norfolk pines lining the avenue leading to the royal palace at Nukualofa] and OTUPOUTOA; Columns to the left and right of the central column contain the following motifs: lion, Tongan royal seal, dove, and Norfolk pines; Outermost column along each side is undecorated except for the units of measurement [24 to 29; also 10 to 15] from the original cloth from which this large piece has been cut. | |
| Dimensions (cm) | Width = ca. 264.0, Length = ca. 355.4 | |