A large length of tapa or bark cloth painted in dark brown and black with an elaborate design including triangular trochus shell patterns and symbols with legs representing centipedes.

The design is particularly fine and unusual with a grooved cloth distinctive to central Polynesia. Primarily painted in a Niuean style, there are also suggestions of Samoan and Rarotongan decoration; a reflection of the cultural influences that the missionary period brought to Niue in the early 19th century.

Written in one corner of the back: 'tapoi'. This was sent by John Williams (1769-1839) to his sister, collected during his missionary work in the Pacific. It was formerly in the collections of the London Missionary Society.