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'Kapa' is a fabric found in ancient Hawaii 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 "pāū" 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 alii 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 "ie 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 Hawaii especially for kapa.

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References

External links

Images

References

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

External links

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

★ Kapa Connection