Clothing
Bark Cloth
97-120-350
From: United States of America | Hawaiian Islands | Oahu
Curatorial Section: Oceanian
| Native Name | Kapa | Malo |
| Object Number | 97-120-350 |
| Current Location | Collections Storage |
| Culture | Hawaiian |
| Provenience | United States of America | Hawaiian Islands | Oahu |
| Culture Area | Oceania | Polynesia |
| Section | Oceanian |
| Materials | Bark Cloth | Pigment | Oil |
| Technique | Beaten |
| Description | A long, rectangular malo (loincloth) made of the inner bark of a tree. The malo is buff colored and oiled. The surface decoration consists of black, red, and yellow lines. The line designs were created with bamboo kapa liners (lapa). A square has been removed from one corner of the bark cloth. Kapa cloth is produced from the inner bark of a tree, typically wauke (paper mulberry), 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. After drying, the cloth is decorated using natural dyes and bamboo implements. A malo is a long, narrow strip of tapa worn as a loincloth by men. |
| Length | 376 cm |
| Width | 70 cm |
| Credit Line | Gift of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1997 |
| Other Number | L-120-350 - Old Museum Number | 4493 uncertain - ANSP Number | 4494 uncertain - ANSP Number |
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