From tree to cloth
The work starts with young paper mulberry trees. The inner bark is peeled away in long strips, soaked in water, then beaten on a smooth log. The grooves of the beater spread the fibres wider and wider until they knit into a sheet. Pieces can be joined by beating them together, then painted or printed with natural colours, often red-brown and black.
The tree itself travelled here with people: paper mulberry was carried across the Pacific by the ancestors of the Lapita voyagers.
Cloth that honours the dead
In West New Britain, the Nakanai people used barkcloth in the ceremonies that honour the dead: to cover funeral masks, and to wrap the bones of relatives before they were kept among the family's wealth. Next door in East New Britain, the Baining build giant barkcloth masks for their night fire dances.
Festivals to see
Masks and dances return every year at festivals across the province, including the Maola Ulu Mask Festival on Bali in the Vitu Islands, Balala in East Nakanai, Bakovi at Talasea and Aulu Nakamutmut at Gloucester. Dates change from year to year, so check locally.
Questions and answers
What is barkcloth?
Barkcloth, or tapa, is cloth made by soaking and beating the inner bark of trees such as the paper mulberry until the fibres form a sheet.
How was barkcloth used in West New Britain?
The Nakanai used it in mortuary ceremonies, to cover funeral masks and to wrap the bones of relatives.
Which festivals show masks and dances?
The Maola Ulu Mask Festival on Bali in the Vitu Islands, Balala in East Nakanai, Bakovi at Talasea and Aulu Nakamutmut at Gloucester.