Tapa Cloth
/ˈtɑːpə klɔːθ/noun
A fabric traditionally made by beating and processing the inner bark of certain trees, especially in Polynesia and other Pacific cultures.
Did you know?Tapa cloth has been used in Pacific ritual and ceremonial life, including as clothing, burial wrapping, royal presentation material, and an offering in some cultural traditions.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Polynesian
Proto-Polynesian
*tapa
“The inner bark or prepared bark material used to make cloth”
Ancient Polynesian languages
Polynesian
tapa
“Bark cloth or beaten tree-bark fabric”
Old English
Old English
clāþ
“Cloth or a piece of woven material”
18th–19th Century
English
tapa cloth
“An English descriptive term for Pacific bark cloth”
Modern English
English
tapa cloth
“Traditional bark-based textile from the Pacific Islands”