Featured Is this Maori? Aboriginal?

No clue on origin but thought it might be New Zealand or Australia. Looks to be on paper or bark. Only have one photo-apologies. @Taupou @komokwa and others welcome of course. TIA.

 

Looks like Polynesian tapa cloth (bark cloth). @Taupou will be able to tell you which islands.

 

Thanks so much 2manybooks. I liked it and may go back and grab it.

 

Not Maori, it' actually a piece of tapa cloth (masi, in this case) from Fiji. It's made from the pounded bark stripped from the paper mulberry. The strips are soaked, beaten, and then glued together to form sheets, and then decorated.

Every island country that makes tapa has their own style and technique that identifies where it's from. Fiji is unique in that their tapa (which they call masi) is decorated with stencils.

 

Many thanks Taupou. Always good to learn new things!

 

how large is it?

 

Maybe 24”X 18” I didn’t measure. No smaller than that.

 

a little on the small side for much age....i'd think.

 

Frame was definitely 70s.