T
Joined: Aug 05, 2011
Posts: 1686
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T
How to care for and display tapa cloth. This is a very long, but good, article so I'm only going to copy and paste the introduction.
http://www.bishopmuseum.org/research/pdf/cnsv-tapa.pdf
Introduction
This handout is a summary of steps which can be taken at home to insure a longer
life for your tapa. By knowing what can harm your tapa, it is possible to take steps to avoid damage before it occurs. Combined with an understanding of how tapa is
constructed, we have a better sense of how it can be preserved. The emphasis of the
handout is towards problems which we face most often here in Hawai'i: insects, excessive light, high humidity, dust, and acidic storage and mounting materials.
Tapa, also known as barkcloth, can be loosely defined as a material made from
the inner bark of shrubs or trees that has been softened and expanded into thin sheets by a process of soaking and beating. Surface decoration can be beaten into the cloth during manufacture or can be painted onto the finished cloth. Although tapa has been made in many parts of the world, the emphasis of this handout will be on tapa made in Polynesia. Within Polynesia, the art of tapa making was most refined in Hawai'i. Although this art was almost lost in the early 20th century, Hawaiian tapa making is presently undergoing a revival as contemporary artists' recreate tissue-thin sheets with a rich variety of colors and textures.
The popular tapa of Samoa, Tonga and Fiji continues to be made today and can
still be found commercially. Although smaller pieces are made, tapa from these areas is often constructed of individual pieces of processed bark pasted together to form large sheets with bold application of earth colors onto the finished cloth.
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