Painting Item Number: 3527/8 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Rectangular piece of barkcloth with various abstract designs painted across surface; done in black. Large triangle in top third of painting; top half framed on either side with inverted triangles. Smaller triangles inside large triangle, along with groupings of small dots and curved lines; triangles filled with linear motifs. Circular and triangular clusters of dots on either side of large triangle. Middle third of painting is filled with intersecting curved lines; bottom third covered in different sized triangles. All triangles are filled with linear motifs; various linear and dot motifs throughout rest of section. Large zigzag along bottom edge with alternating dots and horizontal lines in the negative space. Back of barkcloth is undecorated.
The barkcloth is made by men, beating a layer of tree bark until it is thin and pliable. Women paint the designs, which are often symbolic of their forested surroundings, using a mixture of charcoal and natural plant dyes.