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: LARGE SINGLE SHEET OF BARK CLOTH DECORATED WITH PARALLEL LINES OF VARYING WIDTHS AND COLORS, MOSTLY REDDISH BROWN AND DARK BROWN TO BLACK. THE TAPA HAS A VERY FINE MESH LIKE WATERMARK. HAS ORIGINAL PEALE TAG. A DETACHED TAG READS, "NATIVE CLOTH, SANDWICH ISLANDS."
label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "3521-533. CAT. 3531. ORIG. 837. TAPA, LARGE SHEET, PARALLEL WATER MARK, STRIPED WITH PARALLEL VERTICAL LINES, RED AND BROWN. HAWAII. SMALL SAMPLE TAKEN BY K. P. EMORY, 6/24/41."
label: Notes
content: Tapa was initially examined in a folded configuration measuring 20 x 62 cm. Tapa is made of a very thin beatern cellulosic material. Tapa initially identified as "mamaki" based on its physical characteristics of brown color, fine parallel beater marks, parallel lines of applied colorant and poor condition. Adrienne Kaeppler, Curator for Oceania Ethnology, notes that these characteristics are the identifiers for mamaki she was taught while working at the Bishop Museum. Once opened and examined the designation of mamaki became more questionable. The fibers appear white and very long which is also consistent for wauke (paper mulberry). The dark brown color appears to be applied and not necessarily the color of the fiber. Therefore the species of plant fiber used in the fabrication of this tapa remains a question. Regular beater marks can be observed. They form cross-section patterns that are very fine (3 x 3 mm square patterns). Decorative designs and patterns: There are mostly red and black colors on a colored beige-yellow background. The following colors are noticeable: - black: 4 lines which bled into the material to form one thick line; - dark-brown background color underneath the black patterns; - black: 15 thin lines (5 mm width); - red: 4 lines which bled to nearly form one thick line; - red: about 14 thin lines (5 mm width). All the lines are running widthwise. Tapa has a square cut on one corner. It could be a cut for a sample by Kenneth P. Emory of the Bishop Museum, who took tapa samples in the collections in 1941? Previous testing was done by Annemette Scharff, and recorded in her Master's Thesis, Mamaki tapa - Identification and Deterioration, 1996. Three samples from this tapa were tested: a light brown wide stripe; a light brown narrow stripe; a dark brown wide stripe. Only the dark brown wide stripe showed a high iron content. The pH was 4.5 - 5.0 on the dark brown wide stripe.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 31 Jul 2020
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: E3531-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Barkcloth
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 183 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 244 cm