Tapa Or Bark Cloth, Colored
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: FROM CARD: "4388-4402. CAT. 4398. TAPA, LARGE SHEET. CASE 41. SMALL SAMPLE TAKEN BY K. P. EMORY, 6/24/41." FROM CARD: "4398. LARGE SHEET, IN POOR CONDITION. NO FRINGE. EACH HALF SYMETRICAL. THIS INFORMATION GIVEN BY K. P. EMORY, BISHOP MUSEUM, 6/24/41. MR. EMORY ALSO TOOK VERY SMALL SAMPLE."
label: Notes
content: Peale catalogue identifies # 1435 - 1456 as "Ngatu." Bark cloth prepared for curtains by the natives of the Fiji Islands."
label: Notes
content: This tapa is densely decorated with designs using mostly a black pigment. Dark red parallel lines have also been widely applied adjacent to the black portions. There is a central horizontal band (23" wide) which is divided by a vertical band and is made up of varying thin lines and patterns using black and red pigments. The central vertical band is 9 1/2" wide and consists of alternating thin and heavy horizontal parallel lines using black and red pigment. These two bands effectively divide the tapa into four quarters. The quarters are filled with a chevron pattern overall which is not used on the front. Half of the design consists of alternating parallel lines and the second half is made up of diamonds, triangles and dots. Tapa is quite thin overall particularly along the edges where abrasion from use has chafed the material. Numerous areas were found with dried mud caked onto bark cloth.
label: Notes
content: This large tapa is stored rolled.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 31 Jul 2020
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Fiji, Melanesia
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Fijian
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: E4398-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Barkcloth
physicalDescription: label: Height - Object
content: ca. 427 cm
label: Width - Object
content: ca. 439 cm