Dance cape

The stitching around the edges of this tapa and the attachment of a strap suggest that it was used as a dance cape.

These capes, used by the Benabena, Usarufa, Jate, Fore and Kamano peoples, were made from the inner bark of certain plants, notably the paper mulberry Broussonetia papyfera and the breadfruit Artotocarpus altilis.

The fiber was then beaten with a wooden or stone mallet to refine the material.
Once the operation was complete, the fabric was decorated with abstract, geometric patterns traced in black (a mixture of soot produced by burning tuitui kernel[bancoulier] with water), embellished with ochre pigment (macerated koka bischoffia javanica bark).

These capes were used for ceremonies related to good harvests, during which fruit, vegetables and other commercial products were shared.

In the Goroka and Henganofi regions, these ceremonies used to be marked by collective dancing and singing. Body decorations and a series of characteristic emblems were made and almost always worn by the men.

Price: €4,500