Garments of Bark Cloth.

Besides clothing bark cloth was used as bed-covers and as wrappers. It is peculiar that in the island of Mangaia, which is so near to Rarotonga, plaited sleeping-mats were not made, but bark cloth took its place.

As clothing, the garments of bark cloth may be divided into loin cloths, kilts and cloaks.

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Loin Cloths, Maro. The term maro is universal throughout Polynesia, and extends to New Zealand and the Chatham Islands. It implies that the material must pass, in some part of its course, between the legs.

In preparing the bast for a maro, only sufficient was beaten to form a narrow width of about two finger spans. The finger span is the largest span between the tips of the outstretched middle finger and the thumb, and was termed an angahono. Two such spans were roughly about 18 inches. The pahoa so prepared was dried and used without further treatment.

It was put on in the usual way. One end was held up against the abdomen. The long end was passed back between the legs, looped round over the right hip, crossed transversely over the first part, passed round the waist above the left hip, and hooked back through the loop made at the back. This straightened up the band passing between the legs. The end passing to the left was tucked in under the horizontal band and so secured the maro. The short end in front was dropped and hung over the waist band with its free end down.

Maro papako. The bast of the papako, roughly made, was used as a maro and worn in the same way.

The maro was worn by men and gave them great freedom of movement in their work.

Kilt, Pareu. A length of cloth was worn round the waist. A short length extending to the knee was worn by the men, and a longer length, extending even to the ankles, was worn by the women. By tucking the outer end in over the waist edge, a belt was dispensed with. Whether used as a kilt or a skirt, the garment was termed a pareu.

Body Garments. It is probable that a strip of cloth was on occasion wrapped round the shoulders, as a shawl or cloak.

Tope. These were described by an old man, who had worn them in his youth, as two strips of cloth over an arm's span, māro, in length. The mid-part of one rested on the back of the neck. The two ends were brought forward over the shoulder crossed over the breast and passed back under the arms and held at the back. The other strip was doubled round the front of the neck, crossed at the back and brought forward under the arms. The four ends were then fixed by a wide band of cloth wound horizontally round the abdomen. The first two strips were termed tope and the page 85third, the tatua or belt. Thus the upper body was completely covered by a garment consisting of three pieces.

Tiputa. The tiputa consisted of a long strip of cloth the width of the shoulders, with a hole in the centre. The head was inserted through the hole and the ends hung down over the front and back of the body. It was thus worn like a poncho. The edges were often cut with serrations, or in such a manner that long narrow strips formed a fringe.

Full Dress. On ceremonial occasions full dress consisted of the pareu kilt, the two tope with the tatua band and over all, the tiputa.