Cope

This garment is a cope (a priest's liturgical vestment) made by the women of Gona village, near Poppondetta, Northern province in Papua New Guinea. It was a farewell gift for the Reverend Wardman in 1962. The Anglican missionary had lived and worked with the community for 12 years.

Manufacture

The cope is made from tapa (bark cloth) strips of the inner bark of particular trees. Makers beat the bark strips with a mallet, widening and joining them together to make larger pieces of cloth. The women of Gona have decorated the cope using natural dyes and other pigments. The motifs and patterns are often inspired by the natural environment or associated with important people and events. It opens at the front and fastens across the chest.

Significance

The Anglican mission was first established in Papua New Guinea in the late 1880s. This cope is important for its representation of the relationships between Christian missionaries and locals but also for the innovative use of indigenous tapa cloth featuring European style, machine-sewing techniques and Christian symbolism – a cross, fish, and doves.

Acquisition history

The cope was worn by Wardman at various church occasions in Australia relating to Papua New Guinea. On his retirement, he had no further use for the garment, and it found its way to a tribal arts dealer and onto the museum.