Material approaches to Polynesian barkcloth : cloth, collections, communities / edited by Frances Lennard & Andy Mills.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Lennard, Frances, editor.

Mills, Andy, editor.

George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Tapa--Polynesia.

Tapa.

Tapa--Pacific Area.

Tapa--Conservation and restoration.

Bark painting--Pacific Area.

Bark painting.

Textile fabrics--Pacific Area--History.

Textile fabrics.

History.

Conservation and restoration.

Polynesia.

Pacific Area.

Physical Description:

342 pages : illustrations (chiefly color), facsimile, map, portraits ; 26 cm

Place of Publication:

Leiden : Sidestone Press, [2020]

Summary:

Barkcloth or tapa, a cloth made from the inner bark of trees, was widely used in place of woven cloth in the Pacific islands until the 19th century. A ubiquitous material, it was integral to the lives of islanders and used for clothing, furnishings and ritual artefacts. 'Material Approaches to Polynesian Barkcloth' takes a new approach to the study of the history of this region through its barkcloth heritage, focusing on the plants themselves and surviving objects in historic collections. This object-focused approach has filled gaps in our understanding of the production and use of this material through an investigation of this unique fabric's physical properties, transformation during manufacture and the regional history of its development in the 18th and 19th centuries. The book is the outcome of a research project which focused on three important collections of barkcloth at The Hunterian, University of Glasgow; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. It also looks more widely at the value of barkcloth artefacts in museum collections for enhancing both contemporary practice and a wider appreciation of this remarkable fabric. The contributors include academics, curators, conservators and makers of barkcloth from Oceania and beyond, in an interdisciplinary study which draws together insights from object-based and textual reseach, fieldwork and tapa making, and information on the plants used to make fibres and colourants. This book will be of interest to tapa makers, museum professionals including curators and conservators; academics and students in the fields of anthropology, museum studies and conservation; museum visitors and anyone interested in finding out more about barkcloth.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: pt. I TAPA AS FABRIC: BAST AND COLOURANTS

1. The Procurement, Cultural Value and Fabric Characteristics of Polynesian Tapa Species / Andy Mills

Plant Profile 1 Paper mulberry, Broussonetia papyrifera

Plant Profile 2 Breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis / Mark Nesbitt

2. Technical Variation in Historical Polynesian Tapa Manufacture / Andy Mills

3. Breadfruit Tapa: Not Always Second Best / Adrienne L. Kaeppler

Plant Profile 3 Pacific banyan, Ficus prolixa

Plant Profile 4 Mamaki, Pipturus albidus / Mark Nesbitt

4. A New Perspective on Understanding Hawaiian Kapa Making / Lisa Schattenburg-Raymond

5. Polynesian Tapa Colourants / Allan Tuara

Plant Profile 5 Beach hibiscus, Sea hibiscus, Hibiscus tiliaceus

Plant Profile 6 `Akia, Wikstroemia uva-ursi / Mark Nesbitt

6. Hawaiian Dyes and Kapa Pigments: A Modern Perspective and Brief Analysis of the Historic Record / Lisa Schattenburg-Raymond

pt. II UNDERSTANDING TAPA IN TIME AND PLACE

7. Towards A Regional Chronology of Polynesian Barkcloth Manufacture / Andy Mills

8. Living with Tapa and the Social Life of Ritual Objects / Adrienne L. Kaeppler

Plant Profile 7 `Oloa, Neraudia melastomifolia

Plant Profile 8 Polynesian arrowroot, Tacca leontopetaloides / Mark Nesbitt

9. West Polynesian Dyes and Decorations as Cultural Signatures / Adrienne L. Kaeppler

10. `A Classification of Tongan Ngatu': Change and Stability in Tongan Barkcloth Forms since 1963 / Billie Lythberg

11. White for Purity, Brown for Beautiful Like Us and Black Because it is Awesome / Fanny Wonu Veys

Plant Profile 9 Koka, Bischofia javanica

Plant Profile 10 Candlenut, Aleurites moluccana / Mark Nesbitt

12. Barkcloth from the Islands of Wallis ('Uvea) and Futuna / Helene Guiot

13. Barkcloth in the Maori World / Patricia Te Arapo Wallace

14. `Ahu Sistas: Reclaiming History, Telling our Stories / Jean Clarkson

Plant Profile 11 Turmeric, Curcuma longa

Plant Profile 12 Noni, Morinda citrifolia / Mark Nesbitt

15. `Tataki 'e he Lea: Guided Language' / Sulieti Fieme'a Burrows

pt. III TAPA IN COLLECTIONS AND THE COMMUNITY

16. The Hunterian's Polynesian Barkcloth Collection / Andy Mills

17. From Maker to Museum: Polynesian Barkcloth at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew / Andy Mills

Plant Profile 13 Mati, Ficus tinctoria

Plant Profile 14 Tou, Cordia subcordata

Plant Profile 15 Ironwood, Casuarina equisetifolia / Mark Nesbitt

18. Smithsonian Institution Barkcloth Collections / Adrienne L. Kaeppler

19. Holomua ka Hana Kapa': A Symposium on Caring for Kapa and Kapa Makers at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, December 2017 / Alice Christophe

20. Fiji Masi and the Auckland Museum Pacific Collection Access Project / Leone Samu Tui

Plant Profile 16 Malay apple, Syzygium malaccense

Plant Profile 17 Red mangrove, Rhizophora mangle / Mark Nesbitt

21. Shown to Full Advantage: Conservation and Mounting of Barkcloth for Display in the `Shifting Patterns: Pacific Barkcloth Clothing' Exhibition at the British Museum / Monique Pullan

22. Conservation as Part of `Situating Pacific Barkcloth in Time and Place': Improving Preservation, Enhancing Access and Sharing Knowledge / Beth Knight.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 311-332) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

ISBN:

9088909717

9789088909719

9088909725

9789088909726

OCLC:

1191237220

Publisher Number:

99988714535