Material Approaches to Polynesian Barkcloth : Cloth, Collections, Communities / edited by Frances Lennard and Andy Mills.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Lennard, F., editor.

Mills, A., editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Tapa.

Textile fabrics.

Polynesia--History.

Polynesia.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (346 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Leiden, Netherlands : 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 artifacts 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 research, 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:

Intro

Acknowledgements

Image Credits

Biographies

Introduction

Frances Lennard

TAPA AS FABRIC: BAST AND COLOURANTS

1

The Procurement, Cultural Value and Fabric Characteristics of Polynesian Tapa Species

Andy Mills

Plant Profile 1: Fibre

Plant Profile 2: Fibre, latex

Mark Nesbitt

Technical Variation in Historical Polynesian Tapa Manufacture

3

Breadfruit Tapa: Not Always Second Best

Michele Austin Dennehy, Jean Chapman Mason, Adrienne L. Kaeppler

Plant Profile 3: Fibre

Plant Profile 4: Fibre

A New Perspective on Understanding Hawaiian Kapa Making

Lisa Schattenburg-Raymond

5

Polynesian Tapa Colourants

Andy Mills, Taoi Nooroa, Allan Tuara

Plant Profile 5: Fibre

Plant Profile 6: Fibre

6

Hawaiian Dyes and Kapa Pigments: A Modern Perspective and Brief Analysis of the Historic Record

UNDERSTANDING TAPA IN

TIME AND PLACE

7

Towards A Regional Chronology of Polynesian Barkcloth Manufacture

8

Living with Tapa and the Social Life of Ritual Objects

Adrienne L. Kaeppler

Plant Profile 7: Fibre

Plant Profile 8: Starch (glue)

9

West Polynesian Dyes and Decorations as Cultural Signatures

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: Red dye

Plant Profile 10: Black dye

12

Barkcloth from the Islands of Wallis ('Uvea) and Futuna

Hélène Guiot

13

Barkcloth in the Māori World

Patricia Te Arapo Wallace

14

'Ahu Sistas: Reclaiming History, Telling our Stories

Pauline Reynolds, Jean Clarkson.

Plant Profile 11: Yellow dye

Turmeric Curcuma longa L. ZINGIBERACEAE

Plant Profile 12: Yellow dye

15

'Tataki ʻe he Leá: Guided Language'

Tui Emma Gillies, Sulieti Fiemeʻa Burrows

TAPA IN COLLECTIONS AND THE COMMUNITY

16

The Hunterian's Polynesian Barkcloth Collection

17

From Maker to Museum: Polynesian Barkcloth at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Mark Nesbitt, Brittany Curtis and Andy Mills

Plant Profile 13: Red dye, fibre

Plant Profile 14: Red dye

Tou Cordia subcordata Lam. BORAGINACEAE

Plant Profile 15: Red dye, wood

18

Smithsonian Institution Barkcloth Collections

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

Fuli Pereira, Leone Samu Tui

Plant Profile 16: Red-brown dye

Plant Profile 17: Brown dye

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

Frances Lennard, Reggie Meredith Fitiao, Suʻa Tupuola Uilisone Fitiao, Ruby Antonowicz-Behnan, Beth Knight

Afterword: Polynesian Barkcloth Past, Present, Future

Mark Nesbitt, Frances Lennard, Andy Mills

Bibliography

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Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

9789088909733

9088909733

OCLC:

1239988309