This Tapa or Ngatu cloth was made of mulberry bark fiber in Tonga during the 20th century.
Tapa or Ngatu in Tonga is a type of decorated barkcloth found throughout Polynesia. The inner bark of the paper mulberry tree is beaten with a mallet and joined into a large cloth which is then decorated with natural dyes and pigments. The decoration is called Kupesi and references the natural world, seasons and Tongan cosmology.
It is very good condition with some small holes. Has a hand feel somewhere between thick paper and leather.
Size: 4’11" x 6’9" [150cm x 206cm]
Age: 20th Century
Origin: Tonga
Type of Textile: Tapa Cloth
Material: Mulberry Bark Fiber
Condition: Very good; a few small holes
TX477
