Tapa beaters--clubs used for making fabrics

[Ian]

Tapa beaters are clubs used in the manufacture of tapa fabric. I am posting examples here to record them for the archives and so that diligent readers will not confuse them with some type of club used as a weapon. While they are a tool, it is conceivable that one might be used in self defense but that is not their purpose.

Tapa is made mainly in the South Pacific Islands, as well as parts of Africa and South America. The fabric produced is of great social importance and was often given as a gift. Before the introduction of synthetic fabrics, it was also used for everyday wear. The process for making tapa is complex and almost ritualistic. First, bark is cut from the paper mulberry tree. The bark is stripped, and the inner bark retained, sun dried, and then soaked. After this, the bark is beaten using a tool like this one. The sound of the tapa being beaten creates a rhythmic musical backdrop for the work. Individual strips are beaten together using plant starch to form a large sheet; the edges of this sheet are then trimmed using a knife or sharp shell. Finally, the tapa sheet is decorated colorfully using stencils made from coconut.

This tapa beater is from Polynesia, probably Tahiti, Society Islands, early- to mid-20th century CE. Finely carved from a single piece of wood, this one has a smooth, columnar handle with a flat end and an ample body with an elongated cuboid volume to create the actual pounding surface. This surface is incised with vertical cuts on three of its four sides, which likely aided in the tapa pounding process. Size: L x W = 11.5" x 2" (29.2 x 5.1 cm).
Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA collection. Purchased online December 30, 2025.

The second example comes from Papua New Guinea (PNG), Purari Delta region, mid-20th century CE. A hand-carved wooden tapa cloth beater with a knobbed tubular handle and a faceted body with five sections that are incised with curvilinear, geometric, and abstract figural motifs. The patterns include: two opposing running curvilinear incisions flanking a central line that together may represent a feather, leaf, or running water; a central nested diamond surrounded by opposing "V" or arrowhead motifs; repeated continuous hemispheric forms with a few "V" motifs; a running geometric meander; and finally, a row of stylized tool or weapon motifs. The designs on beaters such as this one were used to imprint patterns on the tapa fabric. Size: L x W 16 x 2.25" (40.6 x 5.7 cm)

Provenance: private Newport Beach, California, USA collection. Purchased online December 30, 2025.