What is Kapa made from?
4 min read
Asked by: Darren Romero
Made from wauke, the paper mulberry plant, by a time-consuming, labor-intensive method, Hawaiian kapa (bark cloth) had many useful functions in everyday life in early Hawaii.
What bark is kapa made from?
paper mulberry plant
Kapa is normally derived from a paper mulberry plant called Wauke however, the Hawaiians have been known to also use bark from the ulu tree as well. The process of making Hawaiian Kapa is very labor intensive and takes days, if not weeks, and many hours of pounding to soften and smooth the fiber cloth.
What plant is used to make kapa?
paper mulberry plant
The paper mulberry plant, called wauke or poʻaʻaha 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 cane, and sweet potatoes.
What is kapa made out of and what are the dyes made of?
The sap from the inner bark of the kukui or candlenut makes a deep red-brown dye. The berries from the ‘uki’uki make various shades of green and blue, depending on where the berries are grown and possibly variations of the species.
How did Hawaiians make kapa?
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).
What is kapa fabric?
Kapa is bark cloth made into beautiful textures, patterns, and colors. Kapa making is an art that reached perfection in Polynesia, and in ancient Hawai’i, kapa was used in nearly every aspect of life. In ancient times, kapa making often took several people and days to complete.
What is a kapa maker?
In ancient times, kapa tool making was an industry done by the men. Today kapa makers must find woodworkers or make and gather materials for their own tools. The purpose of this first beating stage is to loosen the fibers and prepare them to be soaked in water.
What island is Kapaa Hawaii?
Kauai island
Kapaa, Hawaiian Kapa’a, city, Kauai county, on the east-central coast of Kauai island, Hawaii, U.S. Sugarcane and pineapple plantations once dotted the region around Kapaa.
What is Hawaiian barkcloth?
The Hawaiian term for barkcloth is kapa. Traditionally, kapa was made from the wauke tree, stripped of its outer bark and soaked in fresh water to soften the fibers. The softened material was then pounded twice into a flat piece of fabric.
What is the meaning of kapa?
Definition of ‘kapa’
1. the inner bark of the paper mulberry. 2. a paper-like cloth made from this in the Pacific islands.
What did Native Hawaiians sleep on?
Let’s see what comprised the ancient Hawaiian bed: Pili grass and dried leaves were laid on the sandy floor. Woven mats were then placed over the piles of grass and leaves for comfort. Mats were left in the sun throughout the day to be cleansed.
What does Kappa mean in Hawaiian?
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Hawaiian Word of the Day is kapa. The Hawaiian word for barkcloth, kapa was traditionally made out of paper mulberry, hibiscus or breadfruit bark. Barkcloth was used extensively throughout the Pacific and known by a similar name, tapa.
Who made kapa in Hawaii?
Legend has it that Hina left traces of her kapa tools across the Hawaiian islands which is how the kūpuna learned to make kapa. Another legend tells of first wauke plant which is said to have grown from the grave of an elderly man named Maikohā who was buried in Nuʻuanu Valley on Oʻahu.
What does lau hala mean?
Definition of lauhala
1 : textile screw pine. 2a : dried pandanus leaves used as a material for weaving a handbag of lauhala. b : a Polynesian mat woven of dried pandanus leaves.
What did Hawaiians wear?
Indigenous Hawaiians made and wore kapa garments. Men wore a loincloth called the malo, and women wore the pa’u, a wrapped garment of kapa that often had applied geo-metric designs. Occasionally cape called a kikepa might be worn.
