Huon Gulf
Tapa Beater
Huon Gulf, Early 20th century
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Huon Gulf
Tapa Beater
Huon Gulf, Early 20th century
Physical Qualities
Wood, Overall: 1 9/16 × 14 7/16 × 3 in. (4 × 36.6 × 7.6 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of R. Bruce Allen, from the Estate of Luther Emory Allen
Object Number
1985.44.19
To make bark cloth, strips of bast—a soft layer of inner bark between
a tree and its outer bark—must be beaten with hard wooden mallets,
such as these. This process softens and lengthens the bast by forcing
the fibers in the bark to spread. Beating also helps join separate strips of
bark together.
The Baltimore Museum of Art 1976 by gift from the estate of Luther Emory Allen; R. Bruce Allen; Luther Emory Allen collected between 1942-1945(possibly collected in the Huon gulf);
