Tapa cloth

Kaeliann Hulett
       My boyfriend was born in Hawaii and each of his family members have a tapa cloth. My boyfriend calls his a "Kapa" cloth, wich is the more commonly used term in Hawaii, which translates to 'the' 'hit', as they literally beat the bark into cloth. Here is a picture of his mother's, which she said is specifically a Tahitian 'Tapa' cloth. Patterns and the decoration the Tapa is used for are unique to each place. In some places, such as Samoa, making Tapa is a majorly active form of art. Most of the Polynesian Pacific Tapa displays geometric designs, which has me wondering if her is Tahitian. The Tapa in Tonga is like a tapestry, where it depicts events in the designs. It plays a large role at the center of folk art, story, religion, and ritual.
      The designs of the Tapa can be very simple and archaic, to elaborate and profound. It seems as though design of the Tapa has been the most influenced aspect of the cloth by Europeans and Western Civilization. In Hawaii the Tapa, or Kapa, changed drastically in design and production method. Even though they brought the plants, tools, and methods from their founders of Tahiti and other pacific islands, over the next generations they changed it into something noticeably different. Artistically speaking, design elements were most likely influenced by things the islanders were familiar with and their personal interpretations of these items or events. It is thought that even the patterns on Western-introduced materials such as paisley and calico influenced later tapa design.
      Motifs of the sea, mountains, gods, and animals were all widely common, and they always seemed to vary in geometrical design. In freehand methods, repetitive linear patterns work best for covering the often extremely large tapa. Differences range from distinct and intricate stenciling, done in Fiji, to the illusive repetitive use of a bamboo stamp, in Hawaii, to delicate pressings of a fern dipped in dye on Tahitian Tapa. Making use of their surroundings seemed to be the general idea for making a Tapa.

            Here is the story in Pacific Passages that describes a brief cultural value behind the cloth:

"Because sharks save men in times of peril, protect them when other sharks try to devour them, and are useful in other ways in saving lives at sea and own the deep ocean, some people were made into shark 'aumakua, or guardian gods.' This process involved offering a deceased relative's body (or his or her bones wrapped in a tapa cloth) to a priest who would accept various payments in the form of pigs, tapa cloth, and 'Awa and would ensure the transfiguration from human to shark form over the course of a few days. As proof of the transfiguration, the shark would take on the physical attributes of the deceased relative (or the markings of the tapa in which the bones were wrapped) and would then be considered a family pet honored through daily food offerings." -William Westervelt Pg29

     Although, it is no where nearly as prevalent and popular today as it were a few hundred years ago, one can still find native women working on the tapa cloth in the same ways as their ancestors to this day. Though there is no way of knowing where and how the production and use of tapa began, the mulberry tree, a main source of the bark used to make tapa, was brought to the Pacific from Asia more than 3,000 years ago.

     The use of tapa became less prevalent by the 19th century when the more practical and readily available clothing such as cotton became available. Tapa making has been slowly reviving, claiming its cultural heritage by many islanders. One of the things that set Hawaiian Tapa, or Kapa, apart from all others in the pacific was the use of a very wide range of colors. Although the first Polynesians to Hawaii came with the raw plant materials and knowledge of how to make tapa, the time and distance away from Tahiti, Fiji, Tonga, and many other islands, produced a very different type of cloth, both in design and function; they created the "Kapa" cloth. The main use of bark was, and currently still is, for day-to-day and ceremonial clothing. It has been used for practical items such as shawls, loincloths, and headdresses. Tapa was also traded in the Pacific and used as a form of exchange with Europeans, especially during colonial times. Another one of it's uses was for household items, such as mats, room dividers, and mosquito netting. 

      A more important function of the Tapa was for burial shrouds, dowries, birthday's (which what each member of my boyfriend's family received one for), and special gifting. It has also been used as a symbol of status and wealth. The amount of decoration and style of apparel indicated rank and class. Upper-class Tahitians. for example, wore a shawl-like garment that covered their shoulders, while lower-classes wore a triangle around their waist exposing their shoulders. Men of Fiji wore longer tapa loin cloths; the shorter the length, the lower their rank. For these reasons, it might have even been considered royalty to wear more than one Tapa cloth.

      

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