Bark Cloth
date: label: Accession Date
content: 1858
label: Collection Date
content: 1838 to 1842
name: label: Donor Name
content: United States Exploring Expedition
notes: label: Notes
content: THREE PIECES OF PAINTED, BLACK BARK CLOTH WHICH HAVE BEEN CUT INTO MORE OR LESS EQUAL SIZE PIECES. (A) AND (C) HAVE S.I. CATALOGUE NUMBER 2983 WRITTEN ON THEM, (B) DOES NOT HAVE ANY CATALOGUE NUMBERS. ALTHOUGH (A) AND (B) SEEM TO BE FROM THE SAME PIECE, AND (C) FROM ANOTHER PIECE. IN 1867, TWENTY-FIVE "SETS" OF PACIFIC AND NORTH AMERICAN CURIOSITIES WERE EXCHANGED WITH UNVERSITIES, MUSEUMS AND STATE CABINETS. EACH SET INCLUDED A SELECTION OF BARK CLOTH PIECES. THERE ARE THREE OTHER PIECES CUT FROM THIS CATALOGUED BARK CLOTH, WHICH WERE EXCHANGED WITH DARTMOUTH, ILLINOIS STATE MUSEUM AND YALE IN 1867, AND WERE LOCATED IN 1984. ACCORDING TO THE WILLIAMS COLLEGE CATALOGUE THEY WERE ALSO SENT A PIECE WITH THIS CATALOGUE NUMBER, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN LOCATED, 1989.
label: Notes
content: 2 pieces with this number found in Sept 2008, Jane Walsh's "A" and "B" pieces. Appear to be cut from the same cloth.
label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "GLAZED. SOLID BLACK. (THIS INFORMATION GIVEN BY K. P. EMORY, BISHOP MUSEUM, 6/24/41."
label: Notes
content: Peale catalogue indicates # 1017 was collected in Samoa, however Curator for Oceania Ethnology Adrienne Kaeppler upon examination, has indicated that the application of the design indicates that the tapa pieces are from Tonga.
label: Notes
content: There are two rectangular pieces of tapa with this catalogue number. Tapa # 1 of 2 (Jane Walsh designated this as "A") has a partial catalogue number written on the front. Tapa # 2 of 2 (Jane Walsh designated this as "B") has no number. The two pieces are similar in manufacture and in size. Both have uneven cut edges. They may have come from one large tapa but were catalogued as two pieces. When lined up, no registration between them could be determined. The tapa appears to be manufactured from four layers glued together probably with a natural starch paste such as arrowroot. The top layer has a black glazed surface with two lozenge shaped dark reddish brown forms that appear to be under the dark glaze. The underside of each tapa is tan and stained brown in some areas. Impressed diagonal lines cover the surface on the underside.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 17 Jul 2015
label: Specimen Count
content: 2
place: label: Place
content: American Samoa (not certain), Samoa (not certain) / United States (not certain) / Tonga, Polynesia
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Tongan
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 66A00050
label: USNM Number
content: E2983-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Barkcloth
physicalDescription: label: Length - A
content: 100 cm
label: Length - B
content: 96 cm
label: Length - C
content: 88 cm
label: Width - A
content: 55.5 cm
label: Width - B
content: 58 cm
label: Width - C
content: 57 cm
label: Length - # 1 Of 2 (A)
content: 102.5 cm
label: Width - # 1 Of 2 (A)
content: 55 cm
label: Length - # 2 Of 2 (B)
content: 98.5 cm
label: Width - # 2 Of 2 (B)
content: 57.5 cm