Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 36, Number 7, 1 July 2019 — 'O Ka Hana Kapa [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

'O Ka Hana Kapa

Na Benton Kealii Pang, Ph.D. Pelekikena-Ke One 0 Kākuhihewa What is kapa? What makes it uniquely Hawaiian? Hawaiian kapa, or tapa is a type of fabric made from the beaten bast fibers of specific trees and shrubs. Fibers are considered "felted", not woven; the fibers are compressed between a beater and a hard surface rather than woven

together on a loom. The aneienl Hawaiian women made tapa for men's loin cloths, malo, ,•> " w — *. - « k tv x «l

women's skirts, pā'ū, shawls, kīhei, and blankets called kapa more or ku'ina. The paper mulberry plant, called wauke or po 'a ' aha is a large tree grown in stands and was the primary plant used to make kapa. The trees were planted in cultivated rows with other Polynesia introduced plants like taro, yams, sugar eane, and sweet potatoes. Wauke was not the only plant used to make kapa; the inner bark of the māmaki (Pipturus albidus), ma'aloa (Nemuāia melastomifolia) and 'ulu ( Artocarpus albidus) were also used. The Hawaiians recognize two varieties of paper mulberry, po'a'aha,

with soft rounded leaves, and wauke with rough lobed mature leaves. Tapa makers, especially from Kona, Hawai'i, mention the po'a'aha variety being easier to pound into kapa than the wauke variety. It is not clear how widely māmaki kapa was made in Hawai'i. The fibers are not very strong and tend to oxidize in the air and turn a dark brown after the drying process. A survey of the Rodman collection in the Bishop Museum by the author determined māmaki was found in at least onethird of the eolleehon. In the same

survey, burial kapas were made from the fibers of both wauke.

māmaki and ma'aloa. During the beating p r o e e s s

^ while the bast fibers are wet, two types of beat-

ers are used to loosen them. The

rounded hohoa beater is used first. As the fibers get thinner and thinner, a second beater called the 'ie kuku is used. The 'ie kuku is made of the dense hardwood from the kauila ( Colubrina oppositifolia) and uhiuhi (Mezoneuron kauaiense ) tree. It is four-sided and has intricate geometrical designs incised into the beater. When beaten onto the thin pieee of moist wauke, a water mark

of the geometric design is stamped into the kapa. Both the thinness of the kapa and the many geometric designs placed as water marks into the kapa make it uniquely Hawaiian. Hawaiian kapa continues to be made today. The traditions of old are being preserved as authentically as possible. The plants, the dyes and even the designs meticulously create wonderful pieces of outfits for hula, clothing for cultural events and even art exhibitions. It's only when we find ways to perpetuate our culture, that Hawaiian traditions ean flourish. The future of Hawaiian culture resides in eaeh one of us. ■

Po'a'ūha (Broussonetia papyrifera). At top, kapa , moe with watermarking. - Photos: Courtesy