paper-cloth

Definitions

noun A fabric partaking of the nature of paper and of cloth, prepared by the natives of many Pacific islands from the inner bark of the paper-mulberry, the breadfruit, and other trees, by a process which includes beating it, after soaking, to a partial pulp, without wholly destroying the texture.

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This paper-cloth was once made throughout all the South Sea Islands.

White Shadows in the South Seas Frederick O'Brien 1900
Their principal garment, the _cahu_, was a long and flowing piece of the paper-cloth, of firmer texture, dyed in brilliant colors, or of white adorned with tasteful patterns.

White Shadows in the South Seas Frederick O'Brien 1900
_Kapa_ (ká-pa) -- the paper-cloth of the Polynesians, made from the fibrous bark of many plants by pounding with wooden beaters while kept moist.

Unwritten Literature of Hawaii The Sacred Songs of the Hula Nathaniel Bright Emerson 1877