A beautiful older tapa cloth, Papua New Guinea, Northern Province, with stylised fauna pigment decoration. Measures: 128 x 107 cm. The word tapa stems from Tahiti and the Cook Islands, where Captain Cook was the first European to collect it and introduce it to the rest of the world. The cloth is also known by a number of local names, although the term tapa is international and understood throughout the islands that use the cloth. Tapa cloth (or simply tapa) is a barkcloth made in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, primarily in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, but as far afield as Hawaii, New Zealand, Niue, Cook Islands, Futuna, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Tapa cloths are made of bark fibers, a type of cloth made from the bast, or inner bark strips of specific trees, mainly the mulberry tree, although several species of breadfruit and fig trees are also used.
After a process where the raw material is beaten, softened and dried, the tapa is decorated. This tapa is decorated with patterns painted in red and black ochre on a light background. These designs, sometimes called "clan designs", carry a strong identity and spiritual dimension. They evoke guardian spirits, natural forces or mythical places associated with ancestors. The geometric layout expresses a conception of the world based on the circulation of vital energy and the interconnections between humans, nature and the invisible world. Provenance: collection Yves Prigogine – Brussels. Yves Prigogine 1945 - 2019) was the son of the famous Ylya Prigogine (1917 – 2003), Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry in 1977 and of Hélène Jofé (1921-1988). From the 1990s onwards, Yves Prigogine and his wife regularly organised expeditions in Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya to gain deeper knowledge of the culture of the various tribes and to collect their material culture on site. Condition: Overall, in good condition. Slight old and visible imperfections like minor folds and creases. Usual wear due to age and use. See images. Shipping with insurance, track & trace The tracking information of your shipment will be updated in your Catawiki account once your package has been submitted for shipment to the shipping office. Please check this regularly to prevent returns.