Bark cloth is widely used in tropical regions; that of the Pacific is better known as tapa cloth. A detailed description is given of the cultivation, harvesting, manufacture, decoration and use of tapa cloth. In museum items, deformation, breakage of fibres, and delamination are common, as are cracks, holes, and tears. Tapa cloth is neither textile nor paper, and treatments must be adapted to its special nature. Dry surface cleaning is acceptable. Water would be beneficial but coloured materials are almost always water soluble and the starch-type adhesives used to produce sheets probably also. Deacidification is unwise, as turmeric, one of the most commonly employed colouring materials, is ph sensitive. Physical repair also poses problems, particularly in choice of materials since these should not be similar to originals, to avoid creating confusion in later investigations. The article concludes with two complete treatment reports of items from Samoa.