Tapa bark fiber

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kapa from Hawaii

As Tapa , Hawaiian Kapa is called in Polynesia and Melanesia substances of bast are made. The raw material comes mainly from the paper mulberry tree ( Broussonetia papyrifera from the Moraceae family ), occasionally and locally, but also from other tree species. Other more commonly used tree species are the breadfruit tree ( Artocarpus altilis ), the banyan fig and other fig species ( Ficus spp.). In contrast to white tapa from the paper mulberry tree, the end product then has an orange-brownish color.

Manufacturing

Processing of the bark by beating (modern production of kapa on the island of Hawaii )

The bark of young trees is extensively removed and the lying under the outer bark bast replaced. Then the strips of bast are watered and tapped with a wooden mallet on a flat stone or a wooden board. Beating not only increases the surface area, but the fibers also become matted with one another, creating a solid fabric. The individual strips are connected to each other by further beating or glued with latex from the rubber tree . The tapa fabrics are then painted in black and white or in color with traditional motifs. On some islands of Melanesia, raised or recessed patterns are embossed with stencils.

use

Tapa making on Fatu Hiva
Monochrome painted tapa cloth from the Marquesas

In the South Seas, tapa is not only made into traditional clothing , but is also used in many other ways, similar to our textile material. Sleeping pads, curtains, blankets and other home textiles are often made of tapa fabric. In Polynesia, the dead are for laying out wrapped in decorated tapa substances or valuable gifts in Tapa wrapped presents. In Vanuatu , decorated and painted tapa belts are traditional insignia of rank of dignitaries. On the Tonga and Fiji islands, elaborately decorated tapa cloths were an important feature of the royal ceremonies and festivals.

The patron saint of the bast fabric manufacturers on Tahiti was the moon goddess Hina . The high priests - as a sign of their rank they wore white belts made of tapa bark fabric - peeled the mulberry trees that grew around the cult platforms ( marae ) when the moon was full , in order to make clothing for the images of the gods. Four times a year there was a solemn ceremony in which the statues were unveiled, anointed and redressed with tapa wrappings. Only priests and initiates were allowed to attend this rite.

From the late phase of Easter Island culture, human or anthropomorphic figures ( Paina ) are known, made from a frame of elastic twigs, padded with Totora reeds and covered with painted tapa fabric. There are reports of Paina figures more than three meters high that were carried forward in processions.

Later development

With the onset of European influence in the late 18th and 19th centuries, the traditional patterns expanded and complemented each other with innovative elements that had been influenced by Europeans and residents of other islands. As a result, tapa work gradually developed into souvenirs for tourists and a welcome source of income for many South Sea islands.

Comparable products

Tapa made from boiled bark raffia laid in strips, which was also used in Mexico in the 18th century BC. Is proven, belongs to the forerunners of the paper .

A similar bark cloth is made from the natal fig Ficus natalensis in Uganda .

literature

  • Peter Mesenhöller, Oliver Lueb (eds.): Made in Oceania. Tapa - Art and Social Landscapes . Nünnerich-Asmus Verlag, Mainz 2013, ISBN 978-3-943904-26-0 .
  • Matthias Claudius Hofmann, Vanessa Glisczynski (Eds.): And the Beat Goes On ...: Bark fiber from the collections of the Weltkulturen Museum . Series of publications Textile - Culture - Mode, Volume 3, BOD, 2017, ISBN 978-3-7448-9579-8 .

Web links

Commons : Kapa  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ kapa in Hawaiian Dictionaries .
  2. ↑ Roger neich, Mick Pendergrast: Pacific Tapa. University of Hawai'i Press, 2004, ISBN 0-8248-2929-8 , p. 21.
  3. ↑ The optimal trees for making fine kapa are between 6 'to 12' tall and harvested before they are two years old. (The optimal trees for making fine kapa are between 6 'and 12' tall and are harvested before they are two years old.) See Kapa Making and Processing
  4. ↑ Hans Nevermann : Gods of the South Seas - The religion of the Polynesians. Spemann, Stuttgart 1947, p. 142.
  5. ↑ Lieutenant Geiseler: The Easter Island - A place of prehistoric culture in the South Pacific. Berlin 1883, archive.org .
  6. ↑ John Onians (ed.): DuMont World Atlas of Art. Cologne 2004, ISBN 978-3-8321-5333-5 , p. 313.
  7. ^ Michael Reiter: 600 years of paper in Germany. In: Karl H. Pressler (Ed.): From the Antiquariat. Volume 8, 1990 (= Börsenblatt für den Deutschen Buchhandel - Frankfurter Ausgabe. No. 70, August 31, 1990), pp. A 340 - A 344, here: p. A 340.
  8. ↑ Rindentuch on materialarchiv.ch, accessed on July 30, 2017.
  9. ↑ Bark Cloth on biooekonomie-bw.de, accessed July 30, 2017.