Papua New Guinea Skirt Bark Cloth Collingwood Bay

Description

This is a beautiful Tapa Cloth/Bark Cloth Skirt from the Oro Province, from a village along the shores of Collingwood Bay, Papua New Guinea. This is a vintage piece, and very hard to come by. Cloths like these were used as skirts and worn especially for ritual and ceremonial occasions. The bark cloths are still worn today by men, women and children during traditional ceremonies which can involve feasting and spectacular performances of singing, dancing and kundu-drumming. Bark cloth also serves important purposes in marriage as offerings to the ancestors, brideprice gifts, as well as in funerary and initiation ceremonies. It is an integral part of everyday life and plays a critical role in defining their unique cultural identity. Women prepare the bark cloth by harvesting the inner layer of bark of rain forest trees which they rinse and then fold and pound repetitiously on flat stones using black palm mallets until a strong, fibrous sheet of cloth is produced. The cloth is then left to dry in the sun. A rich and earthy palette of natural bush dyes and black pigments are created from fruits, ferns, leaves and charcoal. Ancient clan designs are painted in freehand onto the cloth or the cloth is dyed in river mud and the designs are appliquéd using a bat-wing bone needle. This is would be a wonderful addition to your collection or home.
Mid-20th century
This skirt shows age, some loss of color, tears in cloth, but overall in good condition. Rare and Hard to find.
Skirt
99" long
15" wide
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