Masi Kesa (Pacific Bark Cloth) with Stencil Designs

This object has the following keywords:

• bark cloth - A non-woven textile made by beating the inner bark of certain trees and bushes until it is fine and soft. Bark cloth can be painted, stamped, embroidered, or cut and sewn as patchwork although it is relatively fragile, especially when wet. It was once used in almost all of sub-Saharan Africa, being reported as early as the mid-16th century in Liberia; today it is found in Ghana and Nigeria.
• Fijian - Describes the style and culture of the inhabitants of the Fiji islands whose settlers are well known for their Lapita pottery. Fijian men tend to utilize wood as a primary medium during art production. Specialist Fijian carpenters produce sculptures, bowls, canoes, drums, weapons, headrests and ornaments. Late 20th-century Fijian art production includes traditional objects made for the craft market and local use, and 19th-century antique reproductions, as well as tourist art products.
• Melanesian - Describes the culture and style of the inhabitants of the Melanesian Islands. Melanesians are well known for creating sculptures utilizing a vast range of media, their traditional communal architecture, and body arts.
• Oceanic - Cultures and styles of various regions in Oceania, comprising islands scattered throughout the Pacific Ocean (generally excluding Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines), but including Australia.
• tapa - Bark cloth of Hawaii and other Polynesian Islands, made by pounding the bark of the paper mulberry, breadfruit, or other plants.