bark cloth, unrecorded Batwa artist

Male Batwa artists created this bark cloth in teams by removing bark from a variation of fig tree cultivated over many years. This remarkable process of cloth production begins during the rainy season. Artists cut the bark and peel it away from the tree. They then wrap the tree for protection using leaves. This protection is removed shortly after new bark begins to grow. With every new growth of a bark layer, the quality of the bark improves. Bark from a single tree can be harvested over 30 times before the tree is too aged to harvest. The artists then stretch the bark strips using various methods and tools, including cylindrical wooden mallets. The grain direction plays a large role in the final size of the stretched piece. After stretching, the cloths are dried. The final cloth coloration depends upon the particular tree. In some areas, artists use different types of trees because of regional ecological factors, and this results in amazing color variations ranging from bright orange to pale white. Although the cloth is made exclusively by male artists, both men and women use bark cloth in many ways, including as dress for ritual occasions and for other ceremonial purposes. The cloth becomes more flexible with wear. This piece was never worn. Dr. Reinhild Janzen purchased this piece from a Batwan artist through a non-governmental organization while working in the region. Patronage through tourism is now a major source ensuring the ongoing production of bark cloth.

Written by Morgan Sevart.

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.