|Simple. Classic. Traditional. Tapa, or ngatu, as it is called
in Tonga, was used as clothing by the Polynesians of long ago.
It was used in traditional ceremonies and given as a gift for
special occassions including weddings. The process for making
such a valuable and useful handicraft is a labor intensive
process. It starts with the growing, cultivating and harvesting
of the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree (hiapo). Once
cleaned, the strips of inner bark are pounded with a wooden
mallet (ike) on a long wooden anvil (tutua). From there, the
strips are glued together using a paste made from tapioca root
or arrow root. Two or more layers of the cloth are pasted
together crosswise to strengthen the material. The blank canvas
is a license for creativity for todays interior designers,
artists and costume makers. Tapa does have unfinished edges and
slight imperfections due to the nature of the tree branches.
Tapa cloth for purchase is approximately 1 1/2 ft. wide.
Available in different lengths. Tapa is doubl