Pareu (Waist garment)

Pareu. Skirt. Made from tapa (bark cloth) of the Kuru (Breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis) tree. The pareu consists of multiple strands of tapa (approximately 20mm wide) decorated with yellow and red strips of fabric, horizontally crisscrossed around each strand of tapa. The strands are handsewn onto a waistband made of tapa (approximately 20mm wide). An additional strand of tapa, decorated with yellow and red strips of fabric vertically crisscrossed around it, is sewn onto the waistband. Large grooves are visible across the tapa. Good condition overall. Collected from Rarotonga by T. F. Cheeseman.