UG Bark Clothes Making

Bark clothes making is an ancient handicraft in southern Uganda, Baganda Kingdom. For more than 600 years, under the leadership of the hereditary chief, craftsmen in Ngong tribe made bark clothes for the royal family and other members of the community.

In the wet season, craftsmen collected the inner bark from Ficus natalensis (mutuba tree) and used different types of hammers to beat the bark repeatedly. After a long and arduous process, the bark became soft with a comfortable texture and showed the color of clay. The craftsmen always worked in an open shed to prevent the bark from drying too quickly.

Bark clothes for both men and woman are like loose robes and the bark clothes for women are always decorated with a waist belt. Common bark clothes are clay color; those for the king and chiefs are always dyed white or black. Bark clothes are worn in different ways to show different social status. Bark clothes are always preferred when people attend a coronation, healing ceremony, funeral or cultural gathering. They are also used as curtains, mosquito nets, bedding and storage bags.

Making bark products made almost every village in Baganda Kingdom prosperous. In the 19th century, with the introduction of the cotton trade by Arab caravan, bark clothes making decreased slowly and gradually disappeared. Despite this, bark clothes are still highly recognized today because of their symbolic meaning of traditional culture and polity. In recent years, bark clothes making has been encouraged in Baganda Kingdom again.

Translated by Jiang Yilingzi