Spirit of Aloha | Articles | Island Chronicles | March/April 2003

Island Chronicles

The Practical Wardrobe

With Hawai'i's temperate climate, bark cloth-kapa- made a perfectly fine material for Hawaiian clothing

In ancient Hawai'i, attire was simple. Men usually sported loincloths (malo) and women wrapped themselves in skirts (pa'u). If something more was needed, they would don kïhei, which were merely garments tied over the shoulder.

Each article of dress was very basic in design, fashioned from a single, rectangular length of kapa, or bark cloth. There were no sizings, seams or tailoring details; a quick knot, twist or tuck would secure a malo, pa'u or kïhei.

Making kapa was woman's work, and it was extremely labor-intensive. To produce enough kapa to keep their families properly clothed, women spent many of their daylight hours in the kua, the house for kapa-making.

They would start by carefully stripping the bark from the tree. The quality of the kapa varied according to the type of tree bark used. The most highly prized bark was from the wauke tree, which was long and straight, with a minimum of branching (branches produced holes in the kapa). Mamaki bark was considered inferior because of the tree's tendency to be short and have too many branches. Even less valued was bark from other cultivated trees, such as the breadfruit.

After peeling the bark, the women would lay the bark strips side by side, then beat them together. Next they dried, colored and/or perfumed the kapa, soaked it and redried the entire piece. Sometimes, they would repeat one or more steps to make a finer, softer kapa or to remove plant odors. A colorful spectrum of dyes, from pale blue and gray to pink, vibrant yellow and red, was taken from various plants and sea creatures. Perfumes were extracted from trees, shrubs and seeds, such as sandalwood, kamani, ginger, maile, mokihana and the laua'e fern.

Particular care was taken with kapa intended for the chiefs. They alone enjoyed the fine, gauzy kalukalu kapa or 'ahunali'i kapa dyed with kukui and noni and striped in red. Only chiefs, too, wore the kapeke malo, made of kapa that was dyed one color on one side and another color on the other side, so when a gust blew open the flap of the malo, the reverse color would show. Malo occupied such a high status that there even were chants honoring the malo of certain chiefs.

Chiefesses had their special kapa as well. Their pa'u were fashioned from kapa delicately decorated with fine stripes or dots of white and yellow. Often they would further embellish their pa'u by tying on fragrant leaves and ferns.

This higher-quality kapa was sturdy, and was able to withstand several washings. Well-made kapa could even be worn surfing.

Not surprising, the clothing of commoners was made of inferior kapa. Coarser and less durable, it could not tolerate much washing. Thus, anyone clothed in this rude kind of kelewai kapa while out traveling had to be ever mindful of rain. In the event he encountered a heavy downpour, such as the Popokapa rain of Nu'uanu, he would disrobe, squeeze his clothing into a tight ball (popo kapa) and tuck it under his armpit until the rain stopped. Once the dark clouds had passed, he could shake the wrinkles out of his clothing, put it on again and continue on his way.

Kapa clothing was complemented by accessories made of other materials, such as ti-leaf rain capes that kept farmers, fishermen and bird-catchers dry, and ti-leaf sandals, which were used primarily in crossing razor-sharp lava fields.

Though simple, Hawaiians' wardrobe was practical. It reflected their thorough adaptation to a tropical climate and a lifestyle that was attuned to Nature.

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