of manufacture of bark cloth on the basis of study of the collec- 

 tion at the Botanical Museum. It divides this consideration into 

 two parts: first, the bark cloth of Oceania and second, that of the 

 Neotropics. 



Bark cloth is defined as a fabric, as the generic term for all 

 fibrous constructions. The term "textile" refers specifically to 

 woven (i.e. interlaced warp-weft) fabrics (Emery 1966). 



Emery summarizes the technique of bark cloth manufacture: 

 "Beaten bark cloth is fashioned from sections of the inner bark of 

 certain suitable trees and shrubs . . . The inner bark of trees and 

 shrubs of the . . . Moraceae is especially suited to the production 

 of beaten bark cloth, due in part at least to the natural interlacing 

 in the fibrous structure. The wild fig, the paper mulberry, and the 

 breadfruit tree yield the inner barks which are probably most 

 extensively used for beaten bark cloth. . .. 



"The length, breadth, and thickness of the finished fabric are 

 not entirely dependent on the size of available strips of bark, since 

 in addition to the extending effect of the beating or pounding, it is 

 possible to bond separate pieces at their edges to increase the area, 

 and layer to layer to increase the thickness. 



"The combined soaking and beating, which results in crushing 

 the succulent portions of the inner bark and felting the fiber 

 structure, causes overlapping of superimposed pieces to adhere to 

 each other and makes the reinforcement of weak or thin spots as 

 simple and practical as are the additions to size and thickness. In 

 lieu of natural bonding, glue, paste, gum, or sewing may be used 

 to attach the strips, layers, or patches. 



"The making and use of beaten bark cloth has a wide distribu- 

 tion through the tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa, 

 Southeast Asia, the islands of the Pacific (Oceania) and the 

 Americas. . . . 



"... there is considerable diversity in the terms used in different 

 areas to designate the finished fabric. . . .The most familiar. . .is 

 tapa." 



Bark cloth is known in the South Pacific by other names, 

 depending on where it is made. It is hiapo or siapo in Samoa, 



57 



