The BaGanda and other Bantu-speaking peoples of Uganda still make cloth from the bark of certain trees using traditional methods. These days the cloth is principally used as shrouds.After the bark of a fig tree (Ficus natanensis) has been stripped, banana leaves are tied round the trunk to promote regeneration of the bark over the following twelve months. Then, the hard outer bark is scraped off to leave the soft inner layer. This is folded several times and pounded with ridged wooden mallets to increase the surface area and at the same time reduce its thickness. After several hours work, the material is left to dry in the sun. Its brown hue comes from the tannin in the wood.