Tapa crowns

A sheet of tapa, or bark cloth, with two gorgeous tapa crowns made by Reva Tevenino in Vaitahu, Tahuata.

Te tapa me e ua kanahau hei tapa. Ua kanea tenei Reva Tevenino i Vaitahu, Tahuata.

Marquesans make tapa from three different types of bark: mulberry (the whitest), breadfruit (light brown) and banyan (dark brown, even reddish).  The crown at left is made from both mulberry and banyan tapa.  The bright orange tapa was dyed with ink.  The yellow twig-like things are the fragrant root, eino’o.