Tapa, the generic term for barkcloth, is one of the earliest art forms to emerge from the islands scattered throughout the Pacific Ocean. The most important source of fiber for this functional, non-woven cloth is the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree (Broussonetia papyrifera), which was introduced to the Pacific islands from Southeast Asia hundreds of years ago.
In Papua New Guinea, years of Western colonization have not changed the process of tapa production. Men plant and tend the mulberry trees, and then harvest the trunk. Women strip away the trunk’s outer bark to get to the inner bark, soak lengths of the inner bark in water overnight to soften its fiber, and then beat it with an ironwood mallet on a hardwood log. This process transforms the two-inch wide strip of bark into a six-inch wide cloth, which can be combined with more strips to make a large finished fabric. Designs are painted, stenciled, stamped or rubbed with dyes from vegetable sources.
The bold geometric design of this 20th-century tapa fragment features a pair of V-shaped vertical bars filled with a reddish brown dye and embellished with black chainlike edgings. Details of this design correspond with similar examples produced in Oro Province, in southern Papua New Guinea, on tapa traditionally used for everyday skirts, attire for rituals, gift exchange and other everyday purposes.
Tapa remains prominent in festivals and ceremonial events in Papua New Guinea and is valued for its contemporary use as a home-decor and trade item. Its cultural heritage remains deeply relevant to community life.
Researched by Linda Yangas
Linda Yangas has been a docent at the museum since 2007. She has lived and worked in the Philippines, Korea and Mexico, and is currently involved with the League of Women Voters, the Asian American Forum and Tanghalang Pilipino in and around Washington, D.C.