Kapa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kapa is a fabric found in ancient Hawaiʻi made of beaten mulberry bark, or "wauke". It is similar to tapa found elsewhere in Polynesia but differs in the methods used in its creation. (The Hawaiian 'k' phoneme corresponds to Polynesian 't'). Kapa was used primarily for clothing like the "malo" worn by men as a loincloth and the "pāʻū" worn by women as a wraparound. Kapa was also used for "kīhei" used over the shoulders. Other uses for kapa depended on caste and a person's place in ancient Hawaiian society. Kapa bed covers were reserved for the aliʻi or chiefly caste while kapa robes were used by "kāhuna" or priestly caste.

Cultural anthropologists over the course of the twentieth century identified techniques in the creation of kapa that was unique to the Hawaiian Islands. The paper mulberry tree was cut and soaked in water then laid on a polished stone tablet called a "kua kūkū" and beaten by a "hōhoa", a rounded beater. After the first phase of beating, the kapa was transferred to a sacred house to be beaten a second time but in a religious manner. Each kapa manufacturer used a beater called an "ʻiʻe kūkū", a beater with four flat sides that were each carved differently. The carvings left an impression in the cloth that was hers alone. After the European discovery of the Hawaiian Islands, Western traders travelled to Hawaiʻi especially for kapa.

[edit] Images

Hawaiian kapa, 18th century, Cook-Foster Collection at Georg-August University in Göttingen, Germany

Hawaiian kapa, 18th century, Cook-Foster Collection at Georg-August University in Göttingen, Germany

[edit] References

• Brigham, William Tufts, “Ka hana kapa, making of bark-cloth in Hawaii”, Honolulu, Bishop Museum Press, 1911.

[edit] External links

• Cook-Foster Collection at Georg-August University in Göttingen, Germany
• Kapa Connection
• Hawaiian Kapa Making
• Hawaiian Kapa History
• Contemporary Hawaiian Kapa
• "Kapa: Fabric of a Culture" Article about the art of kapa making and kapa master Pua Van Dorpe by Rita Goldman. Maui No Ka 'Oi Magazine Vol.12, No.1 (January 2008)
• "Kapa: More to Learn" Pua Van Dorpe's kapa collection honoring 11 Maui chiefs. Maui No Ka 'Oi Magazine Vol.12, No.1 (January 2008)