Bark Cloth

Well, its a cloth made from, you guessed it, tree bark!

Bark cloth has been around for centuries and has been declared a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The process of making barkcloth predates the invention of weaving, making it one of the oldest textiles in history. It originates in the Bugandan kingdom of Southern Uganda and has survived a history of oppression, colonialism, and war. 

Making bark cloth is labor intensive as it requires the harvesting and pounding of the inner bark of the Mutuba Tree. Special steps are taken to not harm the tree, making it a wonderfully renewable and environmentally friendly material. The fabric is typically processed by a master craftsman of a tribe, and continues to be a significant part of cultural gatherings such as funerals, healing ceremonies, and coronations. It is also used to make products that are part of daily life and can be used for fashion accessories, housewares, and interior design needs.

The Mutuba tree (𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘴), also known as the Natal fig tree, is a tree in the Moraceae family indigenous to the south-eastern parts of Africa, namely Uganda and Kenya. It's bark is easy to peel from the tree trunk and the tree can bounce back quickly from any abrasion harvesting causes, making it the perfect source of large pieces of bark to be transformed into cloth.

Going beyond the bark, the Mutuba tree provides other vital resources and services to the people and area in which it grows. As one of the best agroforestry trees out there the Mutuba tree not only grows well with other crops but also improves and strengthens soil conditions over time, making the plants around it resilient through climatic threats such as dry spells. And because of its ability to regenerate quickly, it is able to provide a source of firewood while remaining a reliable producer of bark for cloth production. Lastly, it is a great source of fodder for grazing animals and provides shade and support for the plants around it!

Ever the persevering tree, the Mutuba tree survived near elimination during colonialism by Great Britain in Uganda in the late 1800s. As the British government encouraged the growth and production of cotton, the production of bark cloth, once a source of wealth for the Buganda Kingdom in Uganda, was all but eliminated. By World War I the British colonial government removed over 115,000 Mutuba trees in Uganda in an attempt to fortify the boarder it shared with the German East Africa. Thankfully, Mutuba trees made a resurgence in the area as a way to enhance the production of the coffee plant, which thrived off the strong soil and shade Mutuba trees provided.

Microscopic images of bark cloth fibers tell us a lot about the fabric and exactly why the "world's oldest textiles," has lasted so long. According to research and imaging of bark cloth, "the structure is entirely made up of solid cellulosic fibers without lumens,"  (Rwawiire)  which tells us that not only is bark cloth completely made of cellulose and that even on a microscopic level, the structure of bark cloth is incredibly strong and durable, which perhaps is why it has endured hundreds of years.

A microscopic view of bark cloth can even tell us how the drying process affects the fibers colors and rigidness.

Bark cloth is so strong that microscopic research proves how well aligned and orderly the microfibers in it are and that it is so stable it can effectively be used as composite reinforcement

Starting at the base of the Mutuba tree trunk, a small slit it made in the bark, just deep enough to cut through the top layer of bark. Then, using a special tool made of banana stalk, the bark is slowly separated from the tree in one large piece.

Click the link to the video below to hear some awesome bark cloth harvesting ASMR!

Perhaps the most amazing feature of bark cloth is how little negative effect its production has on the environment. While removing bark from most trees would cause it to die, the mutuba tree is actually very well suited for this practice and can continue to be harvested from once a year for up to 40 years! That means that the average mutuba tree can produce up to 8,000 square meters of bark cloth over its lifetime.

In order to ensure the tree's health and quality of bark re-growth for the next harvest, the trees are wrapped in mutuba tree leaves in order to protect the bare trunk as it heals.

After the bark is harvested, it must be prepared for its final transformation. By scrapping off the rough outer layer and then boiling the bark, the material becomes more flexible and malleable. Without this part of the process, the bark would surly be a less comfortable fabric and far less versatile.

Though the origins of Ugandan barkcloth and its production are unclear, myths suggest Kintu, the historical founder of the Kingdom of Buganda (located on the northern shore of Lake Victoria in present-day south-central Uganda) brought the Natal fig trees or “mutaba trees”, and those skilled in harvesting them, to the land in the 12th century CE.

Oral traditions maintain that barkcloth was at first only meant for the king, known as Kabaka, but by the 18th century, the Kabaka encouraged all his subjects to grow and wear barkcloth. By the 19th century however, traders introduced cotton cloth to the Kingdom which subsequently led to a decline in barkcloth usage. It further lost popularity during colonialist times as missionaries’ looked to shift cultural practices. Given how staple barkcloth was in most ritual activities, the missionaries saw the material as a symbol of opposition to the belief system they were trying to instill.

In 1953, when the British arrested and sent King Muteesa II (The current King's father) to England, barkcloth became a symbol of resistance. Many wore the cloth to express their loyalty to the King and anger towards the colonialists.

Though Uganda gained its independence from Britain in 1962, a combination of civil war, political crisis, and dictatorship saw the end of the Buganda monarchy, as well as the barkcloth. Upon the monarchy’s restoration in 1993, the coronation of the new Kabaka Mutebi II restored interest in barkcloth throughout the Kingdom.

This story about barkcloth reminds us of just how interwoven textiles and cloth are with human history and in shaping our modern world. Cultural changes through time can be traced through our wardrobes, the fabrics and cloth we select to wrap ourselves in, and through the way we bring these materials into existence.

Think about: How do the clothes on your body today tell a story about the world you live in and the culture which you are apart of?

Paul is the inaugural  winner of the 2021 Janzi Award  for "Outstanding Crafts and Weaving." The Janzi Awards were created to celebrate and honor those with outstanding achievements in Uganda’s Cultural, Creative and Performing Arts forms.

Paul's has been crafting bark cloth for over 40 years, and his family for hundreds of years before that. His art, pictured below, features a written history of bark cloth in Uganda. Much like his own personal history with bark cloth, the relationship spans hundreds of years.

Watch his interview with NTV below:

Coming Soon...

Other resources on bark cloth:

•  nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/bark-cloth-textile-clothing-unesco 

Barkcloth isn't the only fabric with an interesting past and a promising future in creating a more sustainable world. To learn more, visit our  Around the World in 80 Fabrics ArcGIS Collection  to view more storymaps and resources for this project.