bark cloth

unrecorded Batwa artist, artist

bark cloth, 1994

Where object was made: Burundi

Material/technique: bark; pigment

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 94 x 106 cm
Object Height/Width (Height x Width): 37 x 41 3/4 in

Credit line: Gift of Reinhild Janzen

Accession number: 2017.0084

Not on display

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Historically associated with royal, divinatory, and funerary rites, bark cloth is highly prized among those who make, wear, and commission it. Groups of artists harvest bark from the mutuba tree (ficus natalensis), moisten it, and beat it with wooden mallets to create soft fiber cloth for use as ceremonial clothing and coverings. Specialists once cultivated mutuba orchards to produce more than 50 types of bark cloth. Its creation, historically characterized by secrecy, was so valuable that the royal insignia of the Buganda kingdom included miniature ivory bark cloth hammers. As dress for funerary occasions and cultural festivals, bark cloth is worn by both men and women. Today, the knowledge and artistry of bark cloth creation is recognized as an intangible heritage, leading artists to create new commercial genres of accessories.