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: FINE, MUSTARD-YELLOW BARK CLOTH, COMPOSED OF TWO TO THREE THIN LAYERS BEATEN TOGETHER, AND DECORATED WITH STAMPED FERN LEAF DESIGNS IN A REDISH BROWN, AND PAINTED TRIANGULAR OR PIN-WHEEL FIGURES TOWARDS THE EDGES. HAS ORIGINAL PEALE # TAG. EXAMINED AND SAMPLED BY KENNETH P. EMORY, JUNE 1941. REMOVED FROM PERMANENT EXHIBIT IN THE PACIFIC HALL, N.M.N.H., BECAUSE OF FRAGILE CONDITION, 1984.
label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "LABEL ON EXHIBITION: "KINGSMILL IS." YELLOW TAPA WITH FERN DESIGN. ORIG. CAT. (PEALE): "722 'TAPA CLOTH MADE OF BARK, AND STAMPED WITH FERN LEAVES BY THE NATIVES OF TAHITI." (THIS INFORMATION GIVEN BY K.P. EMORY, BISHOP MUSEUM, WHO ALSO TOOK SMALL SAMPLE OF TAPA) 6/24/41. [Kingsmill crossed out as locality on card with a note:] NO TAPA WAS EVER MADE IN KINGSMILL (= GILBERT) IS. - SR [Saul Riesenberg]"
label: Notes
content: Flexible, soft flat tapa with deep yellow color overall. It appears to have been made from two very thin layers and one edge seems to indicate that this tapa is one large piece folder over. These two layers are not adhered tightly together. Beater pattern consists of tiny parallel lines along the length of the piece. There are approximately 25 linear depressions to the inch. The design motif shows fern prints on two corners and several in the body of the piece appearing randomly placed. On opposite corners to the fern prints and along the opposite side are sets of four triangles arranged together. Along all the edges of the tapa are drawings or prints of fern-like sprigs. All of the designs are colored a deep red-brown. These painted areas are a little stiffer and seem to have been applied to the top layer only as there is no bleeding of color through to the back (except where staining has occurred). There is a large repeating dark stain in the central area.There is a repeated small stain near both ends. There is a 5 cm long loss along the edge with the geometric design that appears to be from a rodent.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 4 Sep 2024
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Tahiti, Society Islands, France, Polynesia
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Tahitian
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: E3739-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Barkcloth
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 264 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 174 cm