Kapa Moe ; ‘Kapa Moe o’ Wakea’ (the barkcloth bed cover of Wakea).

“Kapa Moe o’ Wakea” (The Barkcloth bed cover of Wakea). This is a Kapa moe (sleeping barkcloth or barkcloth bed cover) made with a Kapa moe poho (Barkcloth pouch to store the Kapa moe) accompanied with a green synthetic cord. Both are made of wauke (paper mulberry; Broussonetia papyrifera), and is double layered. These were made and designed by Mrs Verna Kamaile’lauli’ili’i Apio-Takashima. Her brother, Solomon Ku’ulei Apio who is a renowned weaver, stone and wood carver made the i‘e (beaters), ‘ohe kāpala (bamboo stamps) and kua kuku (anvil) that contributed in producing the Kapa moe and poho (pouch).

The upper layer of the Kapa moe is decorated using traditional earth and plant dyes acquired from Maui and Kauai, Hawai’i. The kapa moe has a watermark. The primary design is a chevron, with smaller areas of patterning that have been applied with ‘ohe kāpala (bamboo stamps). The chevron design references Mauna Kea (in Hawaiian culture known as Mauna o Wakea, the mountain of Wakea, the Sky Father). Mauna Kea is the most sacred mountain in Hawai’i. Mauna Kea is a dormant volcano and its peak is the highest point in Hawai’i. It is the tallest mountain in the world from base to summit.

“The kapa moe o Wakea is significant of that which covers our sacred Mauna (mountain) of Wakea. Symbolic of these times when it’s sacredness is being challenged by Western development. The design of the kapa moe honors the sacred cultural landscape of Maunakea for it is the place where Papahanaumoku (mother earth) meets Wakea (sky father).” (Maker statement from Verna Takashima).

The large decorated pouch was made to carry the Kapa moe. It has also been decorated using traditional Hawaiian Kapa techniques. The lid of the pouch features three horizontal borders. The first of the three is painted a reddish brown. Six black wāna (sea urchin) have been stamped onto it. The second border is black and made up of diamond motifs. These have been applied with 'ohe kāpala (bamboo stamps). The third border matches the first. The bottom of the pouch features a border that matches that of the diamond motifs on its lid. The remaining undecorated areas are the natural white of the kapa.

Hawaiian Kapa is primarily made from wauke. The plant does not set seed, so each plant has to be propagated from cuttings. Careful tending is crucial to prevent knots forming, and a supply of bark is produced for easy working. Plants are harvested before they are two years when the branch is not thicker than a broom handle. The outer bark is stripped away in one piece then the outer surface is scraped clean. This is followed by the first beating of the kapa to loosen the fibres for soaking.