Bark Cloth
date: label: Accession Date
content: 1858
label: Collection Date
content: 1838 to 1842
name: label: Collector
content: Lt. Augustus L. Case
label: Donor Name
content: United States Exploring Expedition
notes: label: Notes
content: WRAP-AROUND BARK CLOTH SKIRT WITH SEVEN LAYERS OF CLOTH. THE OUTSIDE SHEET IS DECORATED WITH BLACK, GEOMETRIC SHAPED STAMP DESIGNS, TWO INNER SHEETS ARE PLAIN YELLOWISH BARK CLOTH, A FOURTH LAYER IS DECORATED WITH BLACK AND RED LINES, FOLLOWED BY THREE MORE PLAIN YELLOWISH COLORED CLOTHS. THEY ARE STITCHED TOGETHER WITH BARK CLOTH CORD AND THE HEM IS FOLDED BACK TO CONCEAL THE STITCHES. EXAMINED AND SAMPLED BY KENNETH P. EMORY, BISHOP MUSEUM, JUNE 1941. LENT TO THE BISHOP MUSEUM, 1978, RETURNED 1978.
label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "OUTSIDE ORNAMENTED SHEET, BLACK DESIGN, PLUS TWO YELLOW SHEETS AS PER SAMPLE, THEN ANOTHER ORNAMENTAL SHEET WITH RED AND BLACK DESIGN AND 3 YELLOW SHEETS OF SAME KIND AS SAMPLE. HAS NUMBER 3608 PAINTED ON. STITCHED TOGETHER WITH BROAD STITCHES, TAPA CORD. IN ORDER TO CONCEAL STITCHES, EDGES TURNED DOWN 2" THEN TURNED BACK ONE INCH. (THIS INFORMATION GIVEN BY K. P. EMORY. BISHOP MUSEUM, WHO ALSO TOOK VERY SMALL SAMPLE . 6/24/41. LOANED TO BISHOP MUSEUM 1/23/78 (NOT USED IN EXHIBIT) RETURNED FROM BISHOP MUSEUM 2/15/78."
label: Notes
content: Kapa pa'u (skirt) made from seven rectangular layers of barkcloth each beaten to form a very thin, felted flexible sheet. The edges of each sheet appear cut. The sheets are stitched together along one long side using large running stitches with cordage made of barkcloth with the ends of the cordage knotted off. The stitched edge is folded down concealing the stitching. The sheets are all of the same length but vary in width with the top two sheets being the widest and sheets 3, 4 and 5 reduced to 195 cm in width while sheets 6 and 7 are 186 cm wide. These appear to be complete sheets well attached to the tapa cordage. The outer top sheet and 4th sheet from the outer one are heavily embellished with fine linear designs and are stiffer. The top sheet has fine linear designs in black probably applied with a stamp. Large diamond shapes run the width of the sheet and are filled with fine repeating designs. On the inner embellished sheet alternating red and black bands run the width of the sheet with red borders of fine hatch lines at both ends. The other sheets are plain and slightly more flexible. All sheets are watermarked with a pattern of spaced parallel lines and crossed lines. All sheets have a yellowish coloration overall.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 1 Jul 2022
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: 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: E3608-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Barkcloth
physicalDescription: label: Width - Object
content: 212 cm
label: Length - Object
content: 84 cm