Gatu

Gatu. Bark cloth. Gatu were most commonly made by men in Uvea mo Futuna. It is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree which has been stripped, beaten and patched together to create a plain textile. This is then dyed and rubbed with a natural pigment made from togo (mangrove) or kele'uli (clay), and then painted with a black dye made from tuitui (candlenut) soot. This gatu looks like it is half of a bigger gatu. The edges are fringed with thin strips and the bottom edge has thicker fringe strips. There are intricate brown and black painted geometric designs on the front of the gatu.