Patterns with meaning: barkcloth, kōwhaiwhai and stamped cloth

Across the Pacific, people have made cloth from the inner bark of trees for many generations. It is often called tapa, and each island group has its own name, process and patterns. These cloths are not just decoration: they are given at births, weddings and funerals, and their designs can tell of families, places and history.

Ngatu from Tonga

Tongan ngatu is made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree. The strips are soaked and beaten thin, then pasted together into huge sheets, often by groups of women working together. Designs are rubbed onto the cloth from pattern boards called kupesi, a bit like a crayon rubbing, and then painted over by hand with dark brown dyes.

Other barkcloths

Kōwhaiwhai

Kōwhaiwhai are painted patterns on the rafters of many wharenui (meeting houses). They often use curving forms such as the koru, and their designs can refer to ancestors, the natural world and tribal stories. Each carries meaning for the people of that house.

Adinkra from Ghana

In Ghana, adinkra symbols are stamped onto cloth using carved calabash (gourd) stamps and a dark dye. Each symbol has a name and meaning, such as wisdom, strength or unity.

Learning with respect

These patterns belong to peoples and families, and some are sacred. You can study how they are made, what they are for and why they matter. When you make your own work, design your own motif from your own life, and use the process (rubbing, stamping, repeating) rather than copying someone else's design. If you have Pacific or Māori heritage, your whānau are the best people to guide you about your own patterns.