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In many traditional cultures, '''bark beaters''' were tools used to pound tree bark, to make the bark softer for the processing of [[barkcloth]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Cloth Without Weaving: Beaten Barkcloth of the Pacific Islands |url=https://risdmuseum.org/exhibitions-events/exhibitions/cloth-without-weaving |website=RISD Museum |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Understanding barkcloth at National Museums Scotland |url=https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/stories/global-arts-cultures-and-design/understanding-barkcloth-at-national-museums-scotland/ |website=National Museums Scotland |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref> which is used for making paper, and clothing. This tool has many different variations that are seen in indigenous cultures worldwide, yet all for a similar purpose.
==History==
“In [[Mesoamerica]], the earliest proven bark beaters are from the [[Maya peoples|Maya]] area and its periphery, particularly the Pacific coastal plain of [[Guatemala]] and [[El Salvador]], where they appear some 2,500 years ago.<ref name="Kuchinsky">{{cite web|last=Kuchinsky|first=Yuri|title=What can papermaking and barkbeaters tell us about the ancient contacts between Asia and America?|url=http://www.globalserve.net/~yuku/tran/7pa.htm|accessdate=27 November 2011}}</ref>” Both forms of bark beaters (club-shaped, and racquet type) were also found in the islands of [[Southeast Asia]]. These date back to several hundred years earlier than those in [[Mesoamerica]], but the dating there is less secure as those islands were some of the last on Earth to be settled. Another reason it is so difficult to determine when bark beaters first began to be used to make bark cloth is because bark is biodegradable, and does not last long – especially in hot, tropical climates. Many bark processing tools were also made out of wood, making it difficult to determine for the same reasons.<ref name="Bostrom">{{cite web|last=Bostrom|first=Peter|title=Bark Beaters and Bark Cloth Worldwide: 4000+ Years Ago to Present Day|url=http://lithiccastinglab.com/gallery-pages/2011augustbarkbeaterspage1.htm|accessdate=27 November 2011}}</ref>
==Composition and
They vary in size, shapes, and materials. Some of the materials include [[limestone]], wood, [[ground stone]], and certain sea shells (i.e. scallop shells). 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 <ref>{{cite web|last=World Museum of Man |title=Pre-Columbian Mayan Collection: Mayan Stone Bark Beater |url=http://worldmuseumofman.org/display.php?item=964 |accessdate=27 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426005128/http://worldmuseumofman.org/display.php?item=964 |archivedate=26 April 2012 }}</ref> "I have recorded some 140 uses of the product, such as mats, blankets, bags, various items of clothing, shrouds, banners, and of course, writing paper.” Says Professor Paul Tolstoy of Montreal, Canada.<ref name="Kuchinsky"/> The Maya used bark paper not only to write on, but also for ceremonial clothing, fans, and many others. Early records show that the [[Aztec]] city in [[Mexico]], [[Tenochtitlan]], they used to produce 42,000 packets of paper annually to be paid in tributes.<ref name="Bostrom"/>
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