Kapa (bark cloth)

Object status:

Deaccessioned

Museum number:

11-1121

Permalink:

ark:/21549/hm21110001121

Accession number:

Acc.167

Description:

Sample of bark cloth.

Donor:

Alaska Commercial Company, Benjamin Bristol, and Older University Collections

Collection place:

Island of Hawai'i, Hawaiian Windward Islands, Hawaiian Islands

Verbatim coll. place:

Hawaii

Culture or time period:

Hawaiian

Collector:

unknown

Collection date:

unknown

Object type:

ethnography

Object class:

Textile samples

Function:

8.3 For Manufacturing

Accession date:

1904

Department:

Oceania

Dimensions:

width 2.5 inches and length 10.75 inches

Comment:

Kapa" (Broussonetia papyrifera. Paper mulberry or "wawke".), "the blow; the beating thing." Called "perforated kapa" or "lace kapa" (See works below). The perforated sheet is laid over and beaten onto a sheet of contrasting color. This type of kapa is rare in general, however, this specimen has diamonds which are cut out after the sheet was completed which is extremely unusual. This piece was finished with a beater having a "pepehi" surface, i.e., 10-11 parallel ridges to the inch (ho'opa'i range from 12-18 to the inch. See Buck, Peter 1957, p. 172). This specimen (top sheet) is probably dyed and immersed in mud since it is brown on both sides (fiber dyed previous to beating) - See Kooijman, below, p. 121. The kapa was then beaten, at less than right angles (called "pawehe") with the "pepehi" surface of the "i'e kuku ho'oki" or finishing tapa beater. Made by women of high rank. Beaters made by men." (6 October 1983 Barbara (Kanani) Burns). "DO NOT GET THIS KAPA DAMP". Remarks: "See Brigham 1911, PL 36, no. 2 and PL 43. "KA HANA KAPA", Kooijman, Simon. "Tapa in Polynesia", 1972, p. 127, Fig. 80, text 125-126 and Fig. 81. See Lowie Museum perforated kapa #11-42433, on roller. This is an excellent specimen. Barbara (Kanani) Burns.

Loans:

S1994-1995 #10: SFO Museum (April 7, 1995–July 26, 1995)

Images:

Legacy documentation: