Tapa Cloth

Object Details

Collector

Charles H. Townsend

H. F. Moore

Donor Name

U.S. Commission of Fish & Fisheries

Expedition

Albatross Expedition / U.S. Fish Commission

Vessel

U.S. Fish Commission Steamer "Albatross"

From card: "Coarse tapa with rude [sic] decoration in red, yellow, and brown. Said to be used by women. Enceinto. Two sheets pasted together, painted dull red outlined in black and yellow. Original tag: "Tapa made from the purau. Aitutake Is., Nov. 21, 1899. H.F.M. Said to be used by women enceinte [French word for "pregnant"]." (This information given by K.P. Emory, Bishop Museum, who also took very small sample). 6/24/[19]41."

Painted barkcloth. Probably kuru (breadfruit), per Jean Chapman-Mason and Nancy Moeauri, as it is similar in texture to E205161, which is also from Aitutaki. Catalogue card suggests cloth is purau/purautea (beach hibiscus; H. tiliaceus), the Ngaputoru (collective name of Atiu, Mauke & Mitiaro islands) word for 'au, which it very well could be but we have no way of knowing for certain since we have nothing to compare it with; we have not seen or heard of this type of tapa being made in our lifetimes and know of no surviving material from the Cook Islands [update, 2018: Jean Mason says "Definitely NOT 'au as we have discoverd in experiments with 'au in Atiu, 2018]. Adrienne Kaeppler, Curator for Oceania Ethnology, thinks this tapa is made from paper mulberry, not breadfruit. Cloth consists of two layers glued together. Designs are painted freehand on the top layer in colors of pale orange adn yellow, outlined in black. Black is likely soot obtained from burned candlenut (re'u tuitui); the pale orange pigment is probably from clay (one karaea), or river stone (po'oki kauvai), or mati berries (dye fig berries); the yellow color is most likely turmeric (renga), from which the maori word for yellow is derived, renga renga (another source of yellow is noni, M. citrifolia root). The underside of the cloth has been splattered with yellow and pale orange pigment. Some accidental splattering of black pigment on the top layer of the tapa. Patterning design not symmetrical, which could suggest different women worked at the diifferent ends. Catalogue card says this type of tapa was for pregnant women. Yellow tapa made in Aitutaki were indeed used by women (who had recently given birth); the fact that turmeric has antiseptic qualities certainly has something to do with that - apparently a new mother was covered with it immediately after giving birth.

Record Last Modified

5 Jun 2024

Specimen Count

1

Accession Date

17 Apr 1900

Collection Date

1899 to 1900

Accession Number

036365

USNM Number

E205163-0

Object Type

Barkcloth

Length - Object

227.5 cm

Width - Object

190.5 cm

Place

Aitutaki Island, Cook Islands, Polynesia

See more items in

Anthropology

NMNH - Anthropology Dept.

Topic

Ethnology

Record ID

nmnhanthropology_8357140

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/336b99944-6e16-41b1-8c5f-5b47c13a266f