There is extraordinary diversity between barkcloth made in the different island groups of the Pacific. Some are plain, while others have textural or applied patterns. The patterns, which can be painted, dyed and stencilled onto the cloth, are specific to each community, and enhance the power of the cloth to mediate a person’s transition from one life stage to another. These patterns also relate to the individual and group identity of the wearer. Textural patterns are a particular feature of Hawaiian kapa (barkcloth), where ‘watermarks’ are impressed on the cloth while it is still damp. The many layers of a high-ranking Hawaiian woman’s skirt were each decorated with a different watermark.