Barkcloth from the Solomon Islands in the George Brown Collection. In From Field to Museum—Studies from Melanesia in Honour of Robin Torrence, ed. Jim Specht, Val Attenbrow, and Jim Allen

Historically, barkcloth in Southeast Asia and Oceania has been made using diverse plant species, mostly in the fig plant family (Moraceae). Despite the general use of woven textiles today, barkcloth is still made in some cultural contexts. Here, based on a previously undescribed ethnographic collection from the Solomon Islands, we report new information on an enigmatic local tradition of barkcloth decorated with a blue plant dye. Our immediate aim is descriptive, and to raise awareness of the tradition, but we also note difficulties for identifying the plants used to make barkcloth. Historical questions concerning the origins and spread of barkcloth traditions cannot be answered without better knowledge of their material foundations.