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Material approaches to Polynesian barkcloth : cloth, collections, communities

documentary heritage
  • Description

    "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 artefacts 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 reseach, 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."--Back cover.

  • Place
  • Other Id

    GN432.T37 MAT (Library of Congress Call Number)

    92290 (Cat ID)

    92089 (Presto content ID)

  • Department

Images and documents

Images

Catalogue

  • Object Type
  • Name/Title
    Material approaches to Polynesian barkcloth : cloth, collections, communities
  • Primary Maker
  • Contributor/Publisher
    Sidestone Press
  • Place
  • Date
    2020?
  • Physical Description

    342 pages : illustrations (some color), map ; 26 cm

  • ISBN/ISSN
    9088909717
    9789088909719
    9088909725
    9789088909726
  • Language
    English
  • Level of Current Record
    Bib record
  • Member Object

    2 items in this collection. View all items.

  • Subject Category
  • Content
    PART I. Tapa as fabric: bast and colourants -- 1. The procurement, cultural value and fabric characteristics of Polynesian tapa species / Andy Mills -- 2. Technical variation in historical Polynesian tapa manufacture / Andy Mills -- 3. Breadfruit tapa: not always second best / Michele Austin Dennehy, Jean Chapman Mason, Adrienne L. Kaeppler -- 4. A new perspective on understanding Hawaiian kapa making / Lisa Schattenburg-Raymond -- 5. Polynesian tapa colourants / Andy Mills, Taoi Nooroa, Allan Tuara -- 6. Hawaiian dyes and kapa pigments: a modern perspective and brief analysis of the historic record / Lisa Schattenburg-Raymond
    PART II. Understanding tapa in time and place -- 7. Towards a regional chronology of Polynesian barkcloth manufacture / Andy Mills -- 8. Living with tapa and the social life of ritual objects / Adrienne L. Kaeppler -- 9. West Polynesian dyes and decorations as cultural signatures / Adrienne L. Kaeppler -- 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 -- 12. Barkcloth from the islands of Walis ('Uvea) and Futuna / Helene Guiot -- 13. Barkcloth in the Maori world / Patricia Te Arapo Wallace -- 14. 'Ahu Sistas: reclaiming history, telling our stories / Pauline Reynolds, Jean Clarkson -- 15. 'Tataki 'e he Lea: guided language / Tui Emma Gillies, Sulieti Fieme'a Burrows
    PART III. Tapa in collections and the community -- 16. The Hunterian's Polynesian barkcloth collection / Andy Mills -- 17. From maker to museum: Polynesian barkcloth at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew / Mark Nesbitt, Brittany Curtis, Andy Mills -- 18. Smithsonian Institution barkcloth collections / Adrienne L. Kaeppler -- 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 -- 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, Su'a Tupuola Uilisone Fitiao, Ruby Antonowicz-Behnan, Beth Knight -- Afterword: Polynesian barkcloth past, present, future / Mark Nesbitt, Frances Lennard, Andy Mills.
  • Public Access Text

    [Keywords: Textile fabrics--History--Pacific Area]

    Includes bibliographical references and index. Includes chapter on Auckland Museum's Pacific Collection Access Project (PCAP): 20. Fiji Masi and the Auckland Museum Pacific Collection Access Project / Fuli Pereira, Leone Samu Tui (pp.269-278).

  • Collection Type
    Ethnology Library
    Conservation Library
  • Last Update
    06 Dec 2024
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