FABRIC: BARKCLOTH

Region: Uganda

Fabric Name:
Lubugo (in Lugandan) common name is Bark Cloth

Origin:
From the Ficus natalensis tree, also called Mutuba in Lugandan.

Who made our fabric:
Bukomansimbi Organic Tree Farmers Association, Bukomansimbi, Uganda

Natural history and ecology:
One mutuba tree can yield 30 -40 cloths over its lifetime. Once the bark is stripped, it grows back within a year.

What makes this so special: Ugandan barkcloth, aka Lubugo, comes from the inner bark of the mutuba tree Ficus natalensis. This material has supported the economic, environmental, and cultural health of the Buganda community for more than 700 years. A recent study found it even guards against bacterial MRSA. Trees can be harvested annually for up to 80 years and planting them restores local forests, sinks carbon and supports multiple food crops.

 

A 700 year old cloth that has clothed kings…now finds it way onto the runways.

Award winning bark cloth maker, Paul Bukenya Katamiira has a family history of making barkcloth…dating back 300 years!

In 2021, Paul was awarded a Janzi Award, a national honor in Uganda, for his outstanding contribution to arts and crafts.

More about this fabric…

  • AN INTRODUCTION.

    This fabric has been around for centuries and has been declared among the world’s collective heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2005.

    The process of making barkcloth predates the invention of weaving, making it one of the oldest textiles in history. It originates in the Bugandan kingdom of Southern Uganda and has survived a history of oppression, colonialism, and war.

    The fabric is typically processed by a master craftsman of a tribe, and continues to be a significant part of cultural gatherings such as funerals, healing ceremonies, and coronations. It is also used to make products that are part of daily life and can be used for fashion accessories, housewares, and interior design needs.

  • The History of Bark Cloth | Sustainable Fabrics

    HISTORY OF BARK CLOTH

    Barkcloth, Lubugo, is a complex and beautiful material. The Buganda people of Uganda have been creating this cloth from trees for 700 years. It was originally used for clothing, bedding, around the home, and since has evolved to signify the identity of the Buganda, being worn by the Kabaka (king) for ceremonial occasions.

    Photo credit: The Independent Newspaper, Uganda

  • THE PROCESS

    Making bark cloth is labor intensive as it requires the harvesting and pounding of the inner bark of the Natal fig tree (𝘍π˜ͺ𝘀𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘒𝘡𝘒𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘴π˜ͺ𝘴), also known as the β€œmutuba” tree to the Baganda people of Southern Uganda. Special steps are taken to not harm the tree, making it a wonderfully renewable and environmentally friendly material. The inner bark is harvested during the wet season and then, in a long and strenuous process, beaten with different types of wooden mallets to give it a soft and fine texture.

    To make this cloth from the bark, craftsmen work in an open shed to protect the bark from drying out too quickly. As it dries in the sun, the tannins in the bark develop to give the cloth its signature rust color.

  • FOR THE FUTURE.

    The future is bright for this textile from trees. Designers like Jose Hendo of London are exploring the myriad of ways this fabric can become statements garments for the future.

    Along with other fashion designers, researchers, product designers, and artists, barkcloth has permanently found its way into the creative industries, with more exploration will come more applications that can have a positive impact on the future of this material and change the way we cloth ourselves.

β€œBesides my family, I think I have dedicated my remaining life of art to promoting barkcloth. It requires my kind of passion to contribute to its promoting to where it should be in the history of mankind.”


β€” Fred Mutebi/Barkcloth

Fred Mutebi

Fred Mutebi is an artist and bark cloth maker located in Kampala Uganda. His life with barkcloth shows the cultural importance, historical evolution, and broad possibilities of what you can do with the fabric. As a child, his grandmother used to use Bark Cloth as bedsheets and a way to cover up at night. There is scientific evidence showing that barkcloth can protect against mosquitos, so it helped Fred go miliaria free throughout his childhood! However, at this time Fred despised barkcloth, as when he was a child, anyone who used it would be related to witchcraft. So his grandmother would use it in secret deep in the village. As life moved on, the cloth became more accepted and sacred fabric, and Fred had been looking for materials to make prints with. He had the benefit of going through the education system in Uganda, and once he was out of college, his artwork began to sell very well using barkcloth as the paper for his prints. Fred has dedicated his work to make sure bark cloth persists as new generations learn to make the fabric. His artwork has crossed into Germany, the US, Japan, and many other countries spreading awareness of his message across the globe.