Barkcloth

Some tapa from the Solomon Islands is dyed, painted, or sprayed blue. One side of this tapa is darker than the other, which suggests that it may have been painted or sprayed rather than soaked in dye.

Women from the island of Santa Isabel (Ysabel) were skilled in making blue tapa cloth, which was used for trade with the island of New Georgia. In Rubiana (Roviana), a European visitor around 1910 noted that blue tapa was worn particularly by married women.

Acquisition

The provenance of thistapa is unknown.