Bark Cloth

A natural-colored bark cloth (tapa) made of the inner bark of a tree. A patterned bark beater was used in its production, leaving visible markings in the cloth. There are parallel line beater marks in the center with a mesh-like pattern near the edges. The pattern is similar to the Hawaiian bark-cloth beater pattern, maka upena (net mesh).

The label associated with the object states, 'made by female convicts, without printing'.

Bark cloth is produced from the inner bark of a tree, typically paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera), which is cultivated, harvested, and processed through soaking, scraping, fermenting, and repeated beating to form and refine the cloth. Patterned beaters may be used during production to create watermarks that can reflect regional styles or maker affiliations.

Bark cloth was utilized in a variety of ways across Oceania, primarily for practical applications such as clothing and bedding. Beyond these utilitarian functions, it also played an important role in ceremonial contexts, including funerary practices and formal exchange presentations.