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: SMALL PIECE OF RATHER THICK UNWATERMARKED BARK CLOTH, OF A MUSTARD YELLOW COLOR DECORATED WITH LINES AND DOTS AND FLOWER-LIKE DESIGNS. A DETACHED TAG READS, "3492-3 - FIGURED MATS OF NATIVE CLOTH SANDWICH ISLS." THREE OF THESE PIECES WERE COLLECTED BY JOSEPH PITTY COUTHOUY - BUT APPARENTLY NOT CREDITED TO HIM.
label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "THICK UNWATER, MARKED TAPA. ORIG. LABEL FOR A GROUP OF THESE READ" 838-46 TAPA CLOTH MADE OF BARK; PRINTED AND COLORED IN IMITATION OF FOREIGN PATTERNS BY NATIVES OF KAUAI, HAWAIIAN ISLANDS" -INFORMATION RECORDED BY K.P. EMORY, BISHOP MUS. 6/24/41. PATTERN HAS A BORDER FILLED WITH DOTS, A SIMILAR SQUARE OF DOTS WITH DIAGONALS OF THE SAME, AND IN EACH TRIANGLE OF THE SQUARE THUS FORMED 3 STAMPED RADIATE DESIGNS."
label: Notes
content: Peale catalogue for numbers 838 to 846 identifies them as "Tapa," cloth made of bark; printed and colored in imitation of foreign patterns by natives of Kauai, Hawaiian Islands."
label: Notes
content: Tapa is nearly square in shape. Made from a single piece, this item is fairly stiff and thick for its size. On the front side it is dark brown in color overall and somewhat oily. A design made with black pigment has been applied. Design is delineated by inner and outer borders consisting of 4 mm lines. The area between the lines and the outside edges of the item are filled with black dots running perpendicular to the 4 mm lines. The square area formed by the inner border is filled with an "X" pattern using the same lines and black dots as the borders. The four triangular areas created by this pattern are each filled with three star burst designs approx. 2.5 cm in diameter. The back of tapa is light brown with darker areas where it appears the pigment used on the front has bled through.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 13 May 2024
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Kauai (Kauaʻi) Island, Hawaii (Hawaiʻi), United States, Polynesia
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Hawaiian (Kanaka ʻŌiwi, Kanaka Maoli)
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: E3493-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Barkcloth
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 22.5 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 22 cm