PAINTED TAPA CLOTH

Collingwood Bay, Oro Province

Papua New Guinea

This cloth is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree. A thick section of bark is beaten continually with a wooden mallet that makes the tapa larger, stronger and thinner. The abstract designs are applied using two natural dyes; one a reddish colour, the other dark grey. Such cloths are traditionally used as capes and loin cloths.

Size: 135 cm (length) 76 cm (width)

Weight: 355 grams