Unknown Maker, Tongan

Wrapper or furnishing fabric

Maker

Unknown Maker, Tongan

Culture

Tongan

Title

Wrapper or furnishing fabric

Year

1800s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Dimensions

109.2 x 170.2 cm (43 x 67 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum Collection

Object Number

46.329

Type

Exhibition History

Cloth Without Weaving
Beaten Barkcloth of the Pacific Islands
Nov 01, 2000 – Feb 18, 2001

Label copy

One method of decorating ngatu, the Tongan term for barkcloth, employs sewn strips of leaf ribs arranged in a pattern and attached to a board. The barkcloth sheet is placed over the design board, known as a kupesi, and pigment is rubbed onto the sheet. The pattern of the leaf ribs is burnished into the sheet. The plain border is typical of Tongan ngatu.

Pacific Islands Tapa Cloth
Jul 17, 1992 – Oct 18, 1992

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Tongan
Wrapper or furnishing fabric, 1800s
Beaten bark fiber, burnishing with pigment
109.2 x 170.2 cm (43 x 67 inches)
Museum Collection 46.329

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