Small fragment of kapa from Hawaii, dyed red on one side. The barkcloth is thin but stiff, with three-dimensional ribbing embossed into the fabric. This type of ribbed kapa (kua'ula) is unique to Hawaii. The fragment was cut from a larger sample at some point. Kapa (the Hawaiian word for tapa) is a cloth made from the inner bark of trees and is widely used in the Pacific for clothing and bedding, as well as secular, sacred, and ceremonial uses.
tapa (bark cloth)
tapa (bark cloth)
Original To Stephen Phillips House (Salem, Mass.),
E12506
Unknown
Pacific Island Group
4 3/4 (W) (inches)
Gift of the Stephen Phillips Memorial Charitable Trust for Historic Preservation
2006.44.3641
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