This Tapa cloth was presented to the Bishop of Ballarat as head of the Oceanic Bishops' gathering in the 1980s. The Tapa or bark cloth is prepared from the bark of a tree, beaten flat and glued with a native plant. It is then printed with earth dyes and sap from a Koka or candlenut tree. The design is printed by hand and the cloth used, in this case for ceremonial and presentation purposes.tapa, oceania bishops, fiji