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Te Papa Tongarewa

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Tapa: barkcloth art in the Pacific

For centuries, people across the Pacific have created beautiful and functional tapa cloth from the inner bark of a range of tropical trees. It’s known by many names across the Pacific – aute in Aotearoa, siapo in Sāmoa, ngatu in Tonga, masi in Fiji, hiapo in Niue, ‘ahu in Tahiti, and kapa in Hawaii. It’s used for mats, clothing, hats, paintings, story holders, and for Pacific peoples living in Aotearoa, observing the customs of their home islands keeps them connected to family, culture, and land. 

Here, you can find out about how tapa has been used, read about wānanga with contemporary makers, and see the tools used to make tapa and the beautiful taonga in our collection.

  • Two people are holding a banner that says 'Ahu-Nga Wairua o Hina

    ‘Ahu: Ngā wairua o Hina – Tapa workshops in Tahiti

    After acquiring a book of tapa samplers collected by Alexander Shaw that represents tapa-making practices from various islands in the Pacific, tapa makers, Te Papa curators, and our Senior Librarian, gathered together in Tahiti for a wānanga (workshop) to explore and respond to the samplers in the book.

  • Siapo mamanu (tapa cloth) 1890s

    Tapa: Pacific style

    For centuries, people across the Pacific have created beautiful and functional tapa cloth from the inner bark of a range of tropical trees. They share common techniques of tapa-making, but produce cloth richly varied in both design and use.

  • Tapa cloth. The border is a network of orange Xs, while the internal patterns alternate between checkerboards and flowers

    Mapping the Sāmoa Collections: Siapo

    Learning more about the measina Sāmoa (Sāmoan taonga treasures) research assistant Alexander Gordon has been struct by the beauty of siapo (Sāmoan tapa) and talks about them here.

  • A paper cloth with designs on it. It's sepia and brown in colour

    Decorating ngatu (Tongan tapa)

    Ngatu is the Tongan name for tapa or decorated barkcloth, which is often hand-painted with dividing lines, numbers and sometimes small designs on the borders taken from the natural environment or associated with important people and events. Some of the events may be small and very local in nature, others reference bigger moments in time.

  • A brown and cream tapa cloth with patterns painted on it.

    Tongan ngatu – marking moments in time

    Ngatu are often decorated with motifs and patterns taken from the natural environment or associated with important people and events. Some of the events may be small and very local in nature, others reference bigger moments in time.

  • Image of a jigsaw with pieces missing

    Jigsaw: Siapo

    Siapo (tapa cloth), Sāmoa, maker unknown. Purchased 1916. Te Papa (FE001112)

  • Tools for tapa making

    Katuali ike, ‘ike, hohoa, i‘e, raba, i‘e kuku – these are some of the words used to describe tapa beaters across the Pacific.

  • A priest vestment made of tapa with an illustration of Mary on the front.

    Tapa reshaped

    Fully-decorated tapa are often imported into the country, or made here with imported raw materials. Tapa cloth – both making and using it – is a way for Pacific people to keep connected to family, culture, and land., and these objects demonstrate how tapa-makers adapt to modern techniques and styles.

  • A barkcloth with boxes drawn on it and each box has an alternating shape

    Paperskin: The Art of Tapa Cloth

    The exhibition Paperskin: the art of tapa cloth held at Te Papa between 19 June –12 September 2010 was a unique celebration of the breathtaking visual sophistication and richness of tapa. 

  • A tapa cloth made into a poncho hanging on a frame.

    Watch: Tapa cloth – Tales from Te Papa

    Eco fashion is nothing new in the Pacific Islands. For centuries they've been wearing tapa cloth, made from the beaten bark of trees. These days it's still popular for special occasions.

  • A large mask made of tapa and cane.

    Watch: Eharo dance masks – Tales from Te Papa

    Tribes in Papua New Guinea used these Eharo masks for a ritual celebration that could last for years. Made of cane, tapa cloth, and painted with natural pigments, they were usually burnt after use, which makes the ones at Te Papa especially rare.

  • A large cloth made of mulberry plant paper with patterns inked on it

    Hiapo: Niuean tapa cloth

    Hiapo is made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree. Little is known of pre-nineteenth-century forms of Niuean cloth, but we do know that in the 1830s, Sāmoan methods of making siapo or tapa barkcloth were introduced to Niue by Sāmoan missionaries.

  • Two pieces of blue tapa cloth on a black background.

    Tapa from the Solomon Islands

    The very diverse island cultural groups that make up the Solomon Islands create different kinds of tapa, for different uses. Read about how tapa are made and used in the Solomon Islands.