Human world

Barkcloth

Barkcloth (known generally in Oceania as ‘tapa’), is made from the inner bark of trees such as the paper mulberry and breadfruit tree. It is usually made by women.

Section from Samoan or Fijian barkcloth

The most common process is to:

• strip the bark
• separate the inner bark from the outer
• scrape it clean
• pound it, using wooden beaters over a wooden anvil
• beat two layers together at right angles to make a type of cloth.

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