|
Tapa in Hawaii
and Samoa
For many cultures
in the Pacific, tapa, or bark cloth, is a fading tradition replaced
by Western fabrics and fashion. In Honolulu, for example, spotting someone
in tapa is rare, and no doubt, questionable. If one wants to see Hawaiian
tapa, the best place to do so is in a museum. This is not the case in
Samoa, however, as their tapa continues to plays a major role as an
item of exchange and formal presentation. This paper will look at the
tapa making traditions of old Hawai'i and compare it to present-day
Samoa.
In Hawaii, tapa is called "kapa," and traditional uses include:
the pa'u or wrap-around skirt, malo or loin cloths, and kapa moe, sleeping
covers. Aside from the everyday uses, kapa also held spiritual significance,
as religious images of gods were dressed in white kapa (Neich &
Pendergrast 91-92).
According to Hawaiian Historian Samuel Kamakau, "All are dead who
knew how to make coverings and loincloths and skirts and adornments
and all that made the wearers look dignified and proud and distinguished."
From Kamakau, however, we are able to get a detailed account of how
kapa was traditionally made in Hawaii.
To make kapa, the first step is cultivation. In Hawaii, Kapa was commonly
made from the paper mulberry tree, wauke, and cultivated in two seasons,
the first, in the beginning of the rainy season. When ready, the young
wauke was cut around the base, with bark peeled and rolled inside out.
This helped to flatten the bark, as it was later unrolled and scraped
of outer bark. The remaining bast was soaked in sea water for 10 or
more days to help soften and clean the wauke (Kooijman 102-103).
The next step to kapa making was beating, which took place in beating
houses called halekuku. The wauke was beaten first with a stone anvil,
kua pohaku, and finished with a wooden kua lu'au beater. It is important
to note that, Hawaiians are the only ones to use stone anvils instead
of wood. After beating, the flattened strips called mo'omo'o, are dried
in the sun, and once dry is impressed with a wooden beater, I'e kuku
ho'oki, as a watermark pattern (Kooijman 105-111).
Kapa decoration
was done solely by women; and geometric designs were block printed onto
kapa freehand or with stamps made from carved wood or bamboo. To decorate
kapa, women had a wide selection of colors, as dyes were normally collected
from surrounding trees. Brown, for example, was collected from the bark
of the kukui, or candlenut tree. Red was taken from the kou, noni, and
kolea tree. Yellow was from turmeric or 'olena roots (Kooijman 118-120).
Hawaiian Kapa was unique in that it often had a fragrant smell. This
scent is from fragrant herbs such as, the laua'e fern, and kupaoa roots.
Herbs were heated, mixed into coconut oil, and later added into dyes.
On finished kapa, powdered sandalwood and Hawaiian ginger was sprinkled
between sheets.
As with many Hawaiian
traditions, the Kapa making tradition ended around late 19th Century.
Fortunately, today, many Hawaiians have re-learned the kapa-making tradition
from neighboring islands such as Samoa, whose tapa-making tradition
is a key aspect of Samoa Culture and identity (Kooijman 120-121).
In Samoa, tapa refers to the uncolored boarder of siapo, painted bark
cloth. Early siapo use was restricted to a few privileged unmarried
women of high status, and was worn only around the house. Eventually
men and women of all ranks began to use siapo for everyday and ceremonial
uses. These uses include: curtains or pupuni, mosquito nets or ta'inamu,
burial shrouds or uluselau, and wedding ceremony mats. The various uses
of siapo indeed reflect its significance in Samoan culture (Neich &
Pendergrast 19-23).
Moreover, the tropical location of Samoa makes for favorable conditions
when cultivating the U'a or Paper Mulberry. According to tradition,
the Mulberry was imported from their neighbors in Fiji, and the Samoans
learned how to make bark cloth from the Fijians (Kooijman 210). Trees
are systematically planted and after 10-14 months, they are harvested.
The female head of the household is usually in charge of taking care
of the u'a; and in one day, she is responsible for the stripping, separating,
scraping, and beating of bark! (Pritchard 22-23).
Looking at each of her steps individually, her first step, stripping,
also known as saeu'a, is usually done in one quick pull. Similar to
the Hawaiian's technique, the bark is then rolled inside out and set
aside in a covered container. To separate the bark from the bast fiber,
a horizontal cut is made near the base, and the bark is peeled away
and discarded. The bast is rolled inside out and put into a bowl of
water (Pritchard 24-25).
The second step, scrapping, also known as vavalu, entails the removal
of remaining bits of bark and green growth. A piece of wet bast is placed
on a scrapping board, papavalu u'a, and is scrapped with the edge of
a three different shells, first with a clam shell asi, followed by a
pae shell to straighten out fibers, and lastly with a pipi shell to
clean any blemishes. As sections are finished, pieces are moved upward
and folded. Once the entire sheet has been scrapped, it is piled on
top the papavalu u'a and with an asi shell water is forced out with
firm strokes away from the body (Pritchard 26-27).
The last step, beating, entails a beater (I'e) and anvil (tutua). The
I'e usually is square with two grooved surfaces for widening, and two
smooth surfaces for finishing. Unlike the Hawaiians, these beaters are
made from wood and not stone. A folded bundle of bast is placed on the
tutua and is beaten (with the grooved side) in a straight downward motion.
Strokes are constant, not forceful, allowing for a gradual widening.
The bast is then refolded and beaten on both sides with the smooth side
of the I'e. Once the u'a is the desired size, it is stretched with rocks,
and left to dry for a day (Pritchard 28-31).
When dry, the u'a
is ready to be decorated. I imagine this is the most anticipated step
for siapo makers. Main colors used for Siapo decoration are brown, black,
yellow, red, and even purple. Dyes are all natural, and in most cases,
dyes are scrapped from the appropriate plant and strained in a fau fibred
wringer called unu. Brown dye is taken from various trees such as the
o'a, mangrove, candlenut, and pani. Black dye, lama, is taken from processed
candlenuts, and its production was traditionally a major event. Yellow
is taken from tumeric or ago. Red is taken from the lipstick tree. Purple
is taken from the sap of the trunk of a banana plant (Kooijman 217-218).
Siapo designs are usually motifs from the surrounding environment, and
it is often argued whether or not these motifs have any symbolic meaning
or significance. Common motifs are, fa'a'aliao-trochus shell, fa'a sigano-male
pandanus bloom, and fa'alau ulu-breadfruit leaf. Artists are free to
use any combination of motifs, allowing for an endless amount of design
combinations (Pritchard 44-46).
Designs are placed
onto the u'a by either a rubbing method, or freehand. The rubbing method
entails a design tablet, upeti, originally made from leaves; however,
today tablets are carved from wood. A light application of dye, 'o'a,
is rubbed onto the tablet to hold the u'a sheets in place, on the first
layer, a light application of 'o'a dye is followed by an application
of 'ele red earth, and is then left under a mat to dry. Holes are patched
with arrowroot, masoa, when needed (Pritchard 47-54).
With the freehand
design method, Mamanu, the artist has the freedom to create directly
onto the u'a with no preconceived sketches. Before doing so, the artist
first finds the middle of the u'a, and then divides up the space (Pritchard
62-63). Once decorated, the u'a can finally be called Siapo.
In today's fast-paced McWorld, it is refreshing to see the Siapo making
tradition still active in Samoa. From the cultivation of young Mulberry
shoots, to the scraping and straining of dyes, the Samoan Siapo tradition,
passed to down from the Fijians, goes unchanged. I imagine this cultural
stability is useful for the Hawaiians who want to go back to their traditional
practices, look to their neighbors, and learn the ways of kapa. I admire
cultures such as Samoa whose sustainability and close connection with
nature sets a fine example for us all. After researching tapa, I am
curious to learn how to make tapa myself; and while it is undoubtedly
hard work, the end result is a delightful and highly personal piece
of clothing. Perhaps if time permitted, I could have turned my research
into a three-part comparison between Hawaii, Samoa, and Fiji. It would
be interesting to find out whether the tapa making traditions of Fijian,
like Samoa, persevered.
Works Cited
Kooijman, Simon. Tapa in Polynesia. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, 1972.
Neich, Roger and Pendergrast, Mick. Pacific Tapa. University of Hawai'i
Press, Honolulu, 1997.
Pritchard, Mary J. Siapo: Bark Cloth Art of Samoa. American Samoa Council
on Culture, Arts, and Humanities, American Samoa 1984.
|
|
