Tapa cloth

Bark cloth decorated in a chevron pattern printed in black on a white background. The black areas are edged with dots leaving narrow white borders. The design is likely to be from Rarotonga or Samoa, and printed using blocks, although this example is particularly neat in execution. The zigzag pattern is similar to the wrapping found on staff gods.

This example was formerly in the collections of the London Missionary Society. The chevron pattern matches a sample included in a folder in the LMS archives at SOAS. The samples were sent by John Williams to his sister and are accompanied by a handwritten note in his hand. This larger piece may therefore also have belonged to Williams.

Object Details

ID: ZBA5493
Collection: World Cultures
Type: Tapa cloth
Display location: Not on display
Date made: 19th century
Credit: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London
Measurements: Overall: 2210 mm x 970 mm