The manufacture of tapa cloth, made from the inner bark of certain trees, is one of the most distinctive products of the cultures of the Pacific islands. In several parts of Melanesia from New Guinea to Vanuatu in Fiji and on most of the high islands of Polynesia from Hawaii to Tahiti, the Marquesas, Tonga, Samoa, Niue, the Cook Islands and New Zealand, the manufacture of barkcloth is an ancient craft which has been practised for thousands of years. This volume presents a range of examples of the ancient art of tapa, from cloth brought back from the first European voyages to the Pacific to contemporary examples. The origins, patterns, materials and manufacturing techniques are described, as well as tapa's cultural context and uses in weddings, funerals, clothing, dance and ornament.
- ISBN10 0500279896
- ISBN13 9780500279892
- Publish Date 10 November 1997
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 18 March 2003
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Thames & Hudson Ltd
- Format Paperback
- Pages 160
- Language English