Early 20th C, DRC, Selection of three Bark cloth Beaters

Three old and well-used bark cloth beater made out of a wooden shaft with a cross-hatched blackened tip lashed into position by a cane strip. These grooved wooden beaters were used to pound and soften tree bark to process barkcloth used as clothing. This tool has many different variations seen in indigenous cultures worldwide, yet all for a similar purpose. They vary in size, shapes, and materials. They are carved with parallel striations. Some bark beaters have long handles, while others have an encircling groove around the side for hafting, so it fits easily in one's hand.