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: BARK CLOTH PAINTED FREEHAND; MAINLY BLACK WITH REDDISH-BROWN STRIPS AT BORDERS ON TWO SIDES WITH LIGHTER BROWN TRIANGLES ALONG THE BORDER STRIPS. HAS ORIGINAL PEALE TAG; AN OLD TAG READS, "TAPA FROM SAMOA 1839, CASE 25 2ND". AN OLD 1870'S-1880'S EXHIBIT LABEL WITH CARD READS, "NATIVE CLOTH -MADE FROM BARK AND PAINTED SOLID BLACK AND RENDERED WATERPROOF...COLLECTED BY LIEUT WILKES USN. THIS CLOTH IS MANUFACTURED BY THE WOMEN, WHO PLACE THE BARK, AFTER SOAKING IT IN WATER UNTIL IT IS SOFTENED, UPON A LOG, AND BEAT IT OUT THIN WITH WOODEN MALLETS."
label: Notes
content: Square bark cloth made of two layers of bark with each layer composed of three adjoining sections of cloth, with ends pasted on top of each other. The top surface is a glazed black with dark red/brown colors on two borders and several small red/brown triangles in the black portion. The reverse indicates the pattern on which the tapa was laid, with indented parallel lines intersecting each other. The lines are red/brown. The indentations form a three dimensional pattern. Two sides appear to be cut.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 31 Jul 2020
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: American Samoa (not certain), Samoa (not certain) / United States (not certain), Polynesia
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Samoan
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: E3441-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Barkcloth
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 199 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 192 cm