Kapa is a Textile made by native Hawaiians from the of certain species of trees and shrubs in the orders Rosales and Malvales. The bark is beaten and felted to achieve a soft texture and dye stamped in geometric patterns.
Description and uses
Similar to
Tapa cloth found elsewhere in
Polynesia (the Hawaiian
phoneme corresponds to in most other Polynesian languages), kapa differs in the methods used in its creation. Kapa is based primarily on the creative combination of linear elements that cross and converge to form squares, triangles, chevrons, and diagonal forms, giving a feeling of boldness and directness.
[Kaeppler, Adrienne L. (1980). Kapa: Hawaiian Bark Cloth. Honolulu: Boom Books. p. 1.] Kapa was used primarily for clothing like the
malo worn by men as a loincloth and the
pāū worn by women as a wraparound. Kapa was also used for kīhei, a shawl or cape worn over one shoulder.
Other uses for kapa depended on
caste and a person's place in ancient Hawaiian society.
(bed covers) were reserved for the Alii or chiefly caste—several layers of kapa would be stitched together at the edges to form a kapa moe. Kapa robes were used by Kahuna or priestly caste. Kapa was also used as banners where leis were hung from it and images of their gods were printed on it.[Kuykendall, Ralph Simpson (1938). The Hawaiian Kingdom: Volume 1. University of Hawaii Press. p. 8.]
Techniques
Cultural anthropologists over the course of the 20th century identified techniques in the creation of kapa that are unique to the
Hawaiian Islands.
Wauke (
Paper Mulberry) was the preferred source of bast fibres for kapa, but it was also made from
ulu (
Breadfruit),
(
Urera spp.),
(
Neraudia melastomifolia),
(
Pipturus albidus),
(
Rubus hawaiensis),
ākalakala (
Rubus macraei), and
hau (
Hibiscus tiliaceus).
In the 18th century, pieces of kapa were often made of grooving or ribbing. It is done by pushing the dampened cloth into the grooves of a special board.
[Kaeppler, Adienne L. (1980). Kapa: Hawaiian Bark Cloth. Honolulu: Boom Books. p. 4.] The
wauke tree is cut and soaked in water. It is then laid on a
kua kūkū (polished stone tablet) and beaten with a
hōhoa (rounded beater). After the first phase of beating, the kapa is transferred to a sacred house to be beaten a second time, but in a religious manner.
Process
Each kapa manufacturer used an
ie kūkū, a beater with four flat sides that were each carved differently. Another way to carve the kapa is by starting on the four-sided affairs, with the coarsest grooves on one side used first in breaking down the bast, or wet bark. Then, the beating continued using two sides with finer grooves. Lastly, finishing touches were accomplished with the remaining smooth side of the beater.
The carvings left an impression in the cloth that was hers alone. After the European discovery of the Hawaiian Islands, Western traders travelled to Hawaii especially for kapa.
The process of making kapa was done primarily by women. Young girls would learn by helping their mothers, over time doing the majority of the work, and when older could make kapa by themselves.
See also
-
Tapa cloth, similar fabric made elsewhere in Polynesia
Further reading
-
Arkinstall, Patricia Lorraine (1966). A study of bark cloth from Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji: an exploration of the regional development of distinctive styles of bark cloth and its relationship to other cultural factors. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University.
-
Brigham, William Tufts (1911). Ka hana kapa, the making of bark cloth in Hawaii. Honolulu, Hawaii: Bishop Museum Press.
-
Kaeppler, Adrienne Lois (1975). The Fabrics of Hawaii (Bark Cloth). Leigh-on-Sea, England: F. Lewis. .
External links
