North Pacific, Hawaiian Islands, ca. early 20th century CE. A well-preserved, carved wooden tapa beater with four faces and a tapering, conical handle. Each of the faces is incised. One side has widely-spaced diagonal cross-hatched grooves; two sides have narrow-spaced diagonal cross-hatched grooves; and the fourth side has a diagonal cross-hatched pattern with dots embellishing the center of the diamond-shaped motifs. Tapa is a particular kind of bark cloth that is made in the South Pacific Islands - mainly Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji - but also as far afield as Hawaii and New Zealand. Tapa was introduced to the western world in the late 18th century by Captain Cook's first expedition, where it was collected under the direction of Joseph Banks and brought to Europe. In the South Pacific, Hawaii, and New Zealand, the cloth is still of great social importance and is often given as a gift. Interestingly, it was also once used for everyday clothing before synthetic fabrics replaced it; however. today it is worn only at special occasions such as weddings. Size: 15.5" L x 1.5" W (39.4 cm x 3.8 cm)
Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA collection
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#141417
Condition
Abrasions and loss to upper corners of two faces and losses and abrasion to center of a face. Stable hairline crack across one face. Stable pressure cracks around drilled dots. Chips and nicks to peripheries. Traces of sticker residue from old inventory labels. Lovely patina and signs of use!