Pacific tapa cloth What does Sandy say about the paper mulberry tree?

M: Come in, Sandy, how can I help you?
W: Well, I’m doing research for the anthropology assignment. And I was hoping to check a few details.
M: Sure. You chose the topic of Pacific tapa cloth, didn’t you? What do you find out so far?
W: Well, I was going to introduce my assignment by saying that tapa cloth is fiber made from bark, just the out layer of the trees. It’s particularly common in the Pacific islands, but not exclusive to them. In fact, many other people around the world have made high-quality cloth from bark. But what set pacific tapa apart is the incredible variety role it plays in this region.
M: Yes. Nice introduction, though I think you can be more specific regarding dates. OK, so what about the raw materials used?
W: Well, tapa cloth is made from several species of tree. In the Pacific, the paper mulberry tree is most common, but it doesn’t thrive in all conditions. In fact, it wasn’t originally found in the islands, but was carried in the canoes by the first migrants. Tapa is also made from the breadfruit tree, which is convenient, because of its fruit as the staple food. The paper mulberry tree is only grown for tapa making mill.
M: Yes, that’s good. Now, what about the Maori people here in New Zealand?
W: But the Maori don’t make tapa now.
M: That’s right. And you need to account for it. We know that when Maori migrant came here from the other Pacific islands, they were prepared to make tapa because they brought the paper mulberry tree with them. The thing was after they’d been in New Zealand a bit; they found the flax plant which is superior to tapa because it makes the stronger fabric. By the time Europeans arrived in the 18th century, Maori were making all their fabric from flax and had been for some time.
W: OK So, with the production process itself, first, the inner bark is beaten with a wooden hammer to soften the fibers; then the different pieces are glued together using the adhesive paste made from the Aloe root tuber. This is the only way to fabric large pieces of cloth because bark strings are too fine to be woven together and the stitch isn’t strong enough.