Bast, Ferns, and Mud: Experimental Recreation of a Kapa Kaha (Barkcloth)

Abstract

Kapa (Hawaiian barkcloth) was the ubiquitous fabric of historic Hawaiʻi, used for everything from clothing to bedding, from swaddling newborns to enshrouding the deceased, and all things in between. This textile is crafted from the bast (inner bark) of several plant species, most notably wauke (paper mulberry tree, Broussonetia papyrifera). The laborious process involves harvesting an adequate number of trees, scraping off the outer bark, stripping the bast from the heartwood, and retting the bast in both salt water and fresh water for several days. Once the bast is adequately softened, it is beaten on a large, flat kua pōhaku (rock) using a rounded wooden beater called a hohoa to make moʻomoʻo, which is a precursor to kapa. Several sheets of moʻomoʻo are laid on top one another on a kua lāʻau (wood anvil) and felted together by beating with an iʻe kuku (grooved wooden beater). Once the resulting fabric is deemed completed, it is dried, smoothed, and finally decorated with plant dyes and earth pigments.

Keywords

• textile
• iron age
• hawaii
• dyeing
• newer era