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Bark cloth, or tapa, is not a woven material, but is made from bark that has been softened through a process of soaking and beating. The inner bark is taken from several types of trees or shrubs, often mulberry and fig, and designs are applied with paints and vegetable dyes of light brown, red, and black. Bark cloth is manufactured for everyday needs such as room dividers, clothing, and floor mats, as well as ceremonial uses in weddings and funerals.

Though there are a variety of local names, the word tapa, originally from Tahiti, is commonly used to refer to bark cloth made all over the world. The Museum of Natural and Cultural History tapa collection includes more than 80 tapas, primarily from Polynesia, including the islands of Samoa, Tonga, Hawaii, and Tahiti. While tapa cloth is most often recognized as a Polynesian craft, it has also been made in South America, Indonesia, New Guinea, Melanesia, and parts of Africa; the museum’s collection includes tapas from Congo and Mozambique. The examples shown here reflect the varied designs and colors represented in the museum's holdings, from bold geometric patterns to detailed, stylized floral motifs. Images © UO Museum of Natural and Cultural History. Production of this gallery received generous funding from The Ford Family Foundation.

 

Brown design tapa cloth

Catalog #7-38
Tapa Cloth
Apia, Island of Upolu, Samoa

Tapa cloth detail

Catalog #7-38
Tapa Cloth Detail
Apia, Island of Upolu, Samoa

Tapa cloth, dark brown designs

Catalog #7-440
Tapa Cloth
American Samoa

Tapa cloth detail

Catalog #7-440
Tapa Cloth Detail
American Samoa

Tapa cloth from American Samoa

Catalog #7-441
Tapa Cloth Detail 
American Samoa

Tapa cloth from American Samoa, detail

Catalog #7-441
Tapa Cloth
American Samoa

Tapa cloth

Catalog #7-612
Printed paper
American Samoa

Printed paper, American Samoa

Catalog #7-612
Printed paper, detail
American Samoa

Tapa cloth, American Samoa

Catalog #7-722
Tapa Cloth
American Samoa

Tapa cloth detail, American Samoa

Catalog #7-722
Tapa Cloth Detail
American Samoa

Tapa cloth, American Samoa

Catalog #7-867
Tapa Cloth
American Samoa

Tapa cloth detail

Catalog #7-867
Tapa Cloth Detail 
American Samoa

Tapa cloth, American Samoa

Catalog #7-868
Tapa Cloth
American Samoa

Tapa cloth detail

Catalog #7-868
Tapa Cloth Detail
American Samoa

Tapa cloth, American Samoa

Catalog #7-872
Tapa Cloth
American Samoa

Tapa cloth detail

Catalog #7-872
Tapa Cloth Detail
American Samoa

Tapa cloth, Fiji

Catalog #7-989
Tapa Cloth
Fiji

Tapa cloth detail, Fiji

Catalog #7-989
Tapa Cloth Detail
Fiji

Tapa cloth, Tonga

Catalog #7-990
Tapa Cloth
Tonga 

Tapa cloth detail, Tonga

Catalog #7-990
Tapa Cloth Detail
Tonga 

Tapa cloth, Fiji

Catalog #7-991
Tapa Cloth
Fiji

Tapa cloth detail

Catalog #7-991
Tapa Cloth Detail 
Fiji

Tapa cloth, Fiji

Catalog #7-999
Tapa Cloth
Fiji

Tapa cloth detail, Fiji

Catalog #7-999
Tapa Cloth Detail
Fiji
 

Tapa cloth, Fiji

Catalog #7-1000
Tapa Cloth
Fiji

Tapa cloth detail, Fiji

Catalog #7-1000
Tapa Cloth Detail
Fiji

Circular tapa cloth with cross motif and lacy edge

Catalog #7-1223
Tapa Cloth 
Samoa

Circular tapa cloth detail of lacy edge

Catalog #7-1223
Tapa Cloth Detail
Samoa

Circular tapa cloth with yellow pigment

Catalog #7-1229
Tapa Cloth 
Samoa

Tapa cloth detail of yellow pigments and symmetrical leaf design

Catalog #7-1229
Tapa Cloth Detail
Samoa

Rectangular tapa cloth

Catalog #7-1204 
Tapa Cloth, bought by Margaret Mead ca. 1925 for her then-husband, Luther Cressman, a founding director of the Museum. 
Samoa

Tapa cloth detail

Catalog #7-1204
Tapa Cloth Detail
Samoa