Polynesian Tapa Cloth, Fiji.

Size: 35 1/2 X 49 in.

#1632 .

Tapa cloth is a barkcloth made from the inner bark of paper and breadfruit trees in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, primarily in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. The word tapa is from Tahiti and the Cook Islands, where Captain Cook was the first European to collect it and introduce it to the rest of the world. In Rotuma, a Polynesian island in the Fiji group, it is called Uha, while in the other Fiji islands it is called Masi. These words give some clue to the origin, as Masi could mean the bark of the dye-fig (Ficus tinctoria), endemic to Oceania, and probably the one originally used to make tapa in prehistoric times. Tapa can be decorated by rubbing, stamping, stenciling, smoking, or dyeing. The patterns of Fijian tapa usually form a grid of squares, each of which contains geometric patterns with repeated motifs such as fish and plants, and traditional dyes are usually black and rust-brown. In ancient times the cloth was primarily used for clothing, but the major problem with tapa clothing is that the tissue loses its strength when wet and falls apart. Nowadays tapa is often worn on formal occasions such as weddings, or used as a blanket at night or for room dividers. It is highly prized for its decorative value and is often found hung on interior walls, and commands high prices with visiting tourists due to its value as status symbols to the Pacific Islanders.