Kapa is a

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not th ...

made by native Hawaiians from the

bast fibre Bast fibre (also called phloem fibre or skin fibre) is plant fibre collected from the phloem (the "inner bark", sometimes called "skin") or bast surrounding the stem of certain dicotyledonous plants. It supports the conductive cells of the phl ...

s of certain species of

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s and

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s in the orders

Rosales Rosales () is an order of flowering plants. Peter F. Stevens (2001 onwards). "Rosales". At: Trees At: Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. At: Missouri Botanical Garden Website. (see ''External links'' below) It is sister to a clade consisting of Faga ...

and

Malvales The Malvales are an order of flowering plants. As circumscribed by APG II-system, the order includes about 6000 species within 9 families. The order is placed in the eurosids II, which are part of the eudicots. The plants are mostly shrubs and ...

Description and uses

It is similar to ''tapa'' found elsewhere in

Polynesia Polynesia () "many" and νῆσος () "island"), to, Polinisia; mi, Porinihia; haw, Polenekia; fj, Polinisia; sm, Polenisia; rar, Porinetia; ty, Pōrīnetia; tvl, Polenisia; tkl, Polenihia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, made up of ...

(the Hawaiian

phoneme In phonology and linguistics, a phoneme () is a unit of sound that can distinguish one word from another in a particular language. For example, in most dialects of English, with the notable exception of the West Midlands and the north-west o ...

corresponds to in most other

Polynesian languages The Polynesian languages form a genealogical group of languages, itself part of the Oceanic branch of the Austronesian family. There are 38 Polynesian languages, representing 7 percent of the 522 Oceanic languages, and 3 percent of the Austron ...

), but 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. 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 , a shawl or cape worn over one shoulder. Other uses for kapa depended on

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

and a person's place in ancient Hawaiian society. ''

Kapa moe A kapa moe is a traditional Hawaiian bedcovering made from tree bark, then beaten and felted to achieve a soft texture and dye stamped in geometric patterns. Several layers of kapa would be stitched together at the edges to form a kapa moe. See al ...

'' (bed covers) were reserved for the '' alii'' or chiefly caste, while kapa robes were used by '' kāhuna'' or priestly caste. Kapa was also used as banners where leis were hung from it and images of their gods were printed on it.

Techniques

Cultural anthropologists over the course of the 20th century identified techniques in the creation of kapa that are unique to the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kur ...

. ''Wauke'' (''

Broussonetia papyrifera The paper mulberry (''Broussonetia papyrifera'', syn. ''Morus papyrifera'' L.) is a species of flowering plant in the family Moraceae. It is native to Asia,Artocarpus altilis''), ''ōpuhe'' (''

Urera ''Urera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the nettle family, Urticaceae. It has a pantropical distribution.Steinmann, V. W. (2005)Four new neotropical species and a new combination of ''Urera'' (Urticaceae).''Acta Botánica Mexicana'' (71), 19- ...

'' spp.), ''maaloa'' (''

Neraudia melastomifolia ''Neraudia melastomifolia'', known as ''maaloa'' in Hawaiian, is a species of flowering plant in the nettle family, Urticaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. It is a shrub or small tree, reaching a height of up to . ''N. melastomifolia'' inhabits ...

''), ''māmaki'' (''

Pipturus albidus ''Pipturus albidus'', known as ''māmaki'' (sometimes ''waimea'', for its resemblance to olomea) in Hawaiian and known as Waimea pipturus in English, is a species of flowering plant in the nettle family, Urticaceae, that is endemic to Hawaii. ...

''), ''ākala'' (''

Rubus hawaiensis ''Rubus hawaiensis'', also called the ''Ākala'', is one of two species (with '' R. macraei'') commonly known as Hawaiian raspberry, endemic to Hawaii. It is found on the islands of Kauai, Molokai, Maui, O'ahu, and Hawaii in mesic to wet for ...

''), ''ākalakala'' ('' R. macraei''), and ''hau'' (''

Hibiscus tiliaceus ''Hibiscus tiliaceus'', commonly known as the sea hibiscus or coast cottonwood, is a species of flowering tree in the mallow family, Malvaceae, with a pantropical distribution along coastlines. It has also been introduced to Florida and New Zea ...

''). 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. 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.

References

External links

Cook-Foster Collection at Georg-August University in Göttingen, Germany

"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 The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, whic ...

'' Vol.12, No.1 (January 2008)
"Kapa: More to Learn"
Pua Van Dorpe's kapa collection honoring 11 Maui chiefs. ''

'' Vol.12, No.1 (January 2008) {{Culture of Oceania Hawaiiana Nonwoven fabrics History of Oceanian clothing Textile arts of Hawaii

Description and uses

Techniques

Process

See also

References

Further reading

External links