Fijian Island Art

Bowl, 19th century
Fiji
Wood; W. 22 1/4 in. (56.5 cm)
The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection,
Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979 (1979.206.1579)

Read more about related island art.

Making Masi

Masi is the Fijian word for tapa or bark cloth.

It is also the Fijian name for the paper mulberry tree, (scientific name Broussonetia papyrifera), bought to the Pacific on voyages of migration and used in China as early as 600 BC.

Different cultures across the Pacific, Tonga, Fiji and Eastern Papua for example, have developed diverse methods and distinctive styles of decorating and using the cloth.


For more on MAKING MASI..

Image by Nancy Atkin