Bark Cloth

Bed Curtain (uncertain)

A red-brown bark cloth (tapa) made of the inner bark of a tree. The tapa has been oiled. The surface decoration on one side consists of a series of black net patterns with dots at the intersections. In the center of this side, there is a panel of black geometric stamped decorations. The stamped designs were created with bamboo kapa stamps (‘ohe kāpala).

Bark cloth is produced from the inner bark of a tree, typically paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera), which is cultivated, harvested, and processed through soaking, scraping, fermenting, and repeated beating to form and refine the cloth. Patterned beaters may be used during production to create watermarks that can reflect regional styles or maker affiliations.

Bark cloth was utilized in a variety of ways across Oceania, primarily for practical applications such as clothing and bedding. Beyond these utilitarian functions, it also played an important role in ceremonial contexts, including funerary practices and formal exchange presentations.