Material Approaches to Polynesian Barkcloth

1. Auflage 2020
ISBN: 978-90-8890-972-6
Verlag: Sidestone Press Academics

Buch, Englisch, 342 Seiten, Format (B × H): 187 mm x 263 mm, Gewicht: 1196 g

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.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Lennard, Frances

Mills, Andy

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements
Image credits
Biographies

Introduction
Frances Lennard

Part I: Tapa as Fabric: Bast and Colourants

The procurement, cultural value and fabric characteristics of Polynesian tapa species
Andy Mills

Plant profile 1. Paper mulberry, Broussonetia papyrifera
Plant profile 2. Breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis
Mark Nesbitt

Technical variation in historical Polynesian tapa manufacture
Andy Mills

Breadfruit tapa: not always second best
Michele Austin Dennehy, Jean Chapman Mason, Adrienne L. Kaeppler

Plant profile 3. Pacific banyan, Ficus prolixa
Plant profile 4. Mamaki, Pipturus albidus
Mark Nesbitt

A new perspective on understanding Hawaiian kapa-making
Lisa Schattenburg-Raymond

Polynesian tapa colourants
Andy Mills, Taoi Nooroa, Allan Tuara

Plant profile 5. Beach hibiscus, Sea hibiscus, Hibiscus tiliaceus
Plant profile 6. ‘Akia, Wikstroemia uva-ursi
Mark Nesbitt

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

Towards a regional chronology of Polynesian barkcloth manufacture
Andy Mills

Living with tapa and the social life of ritual objects
Adrienne L. Kaeppler

Plant profile 7. ‘Oloa, Neraudia melastomifolia
Plant profile 8. Polynesian arrowroot, Tacca leontopetaloides
Mark Nesbitt

West Polynesian dyes and decorations as cultural signatures
Adrienne L. Kaeppler

‘A classification of Tongan ngatu’: change and stability in Tongan barkcloth forms since 1963
Billie Lythberg

White for purity, brown for beautiful like us and black because it is awesome
Fanny Wonu Veys

Plant profile 9. Koka, Bischofia javanica
Plant profile 10. Candlenut, Aleurites moluccana
Mark Nesbitt

Barkcloth from the islands of Wallis (‘Uvea) and Futuna
Hélène Guiot

Barkcloth in the Maori world
Patricia Te Arapo Wallace

‘Ahu Sistas: reclaiming history, telling our stories
Pauline Reynolds, Jean Clarkson

Plant profile 11. Turmeric, Curcuma longa
Plant profile 12. Noni, Morinda citrifolia
Mark Nesbitt

‘Ta

Über Autor(innen)

Prof. Frances Lennard:

Frances Lennard is Professor of Textile Conservation at the University of Glasgow and was director of the Centre for Textile Conservation and Technical Art History until 2020. Her research interests focus on conservation approach