Tapa Cloth Item Number: 1019/3 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Rectangular tapa cloth with brown and reddish-brown geometrical designs repeated four times. Each panel is painted slightly differently but features a large X shape with a circle at the intersection of the lines. Plain borders along lengthwise edges.
History Of Use
Barkcloth, commonly known as tapa, is one of the most distinctive products of the diverse cultures of the Pacific Islands. The name is derived from the Samoan word tapa, which means the undecorated edge of a piece of barkcloth, and the Hawaiian word kapa, a variety of barkcloth. Tapa was probably brought to the Pacific Islands thousands of years ago by the ancestors. No important occasion is complete without the presence of tapa, and those who make it continue to generate techniques and designs that serve both utilitarian and ceremonial purposes.
Item History
- Made in Uiaku, Oro, Papua New Guinea during 1982
- Collected between 1982 and 1983
- Owned by John Barker before January 16, 1985
- Received from John Barker (Donor) on January 16, 1985
What
- Name
- Tapa Cloth
- Identification Number
- 1019/3
- Type of Item
- tapa cloth
- Material
- paper mulberry bark and paint
- Overall
- height 80.0 cm, width 160.0 cm
Who
- Culture
- Maisin
- Previous Owner
- John Barker
- Received from
- John Barker (Donor)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Uiaku, Oro, Papua New Guinea
When
- Creation Date
- during 1982
- Collection Date
- between 1982 and 1983
- Ownership Date
- before January 16, 1985
- Acquisition Date
- on January 16, 1985
Other
- Item Classes
- textiles
- Condition
- good
- Current Location
- Case 60
- Accession Number
- 1019/0003