On a recent weekend I had the opportunity to watch Benjamin at work making tapa (or kapa) cloth. Benjamin talked about the process of making tapa as he carefully pounded a work in progress. Made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree (wauke in Hawai‘i) the resulting cloth was traditionally used for clothing and bedding.
7 Comments on Making Tapa Cloth, last added: 8/24/2010
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Ah, more Pacific similarities. We see lots of tapa cloth in NZ, not from the local Maori, but from the Pacific Islanders who have come from our north, Tonga, Fiji, etc.
Frugal Kiwi recently posted..DIY Clean Green Oven Cleaner
I, too, craft and sew and love stories like these about traditional ways to make raw materials! I’ve tried to convince dh to take on some sheep to make our own wool, but he thinks I need one less, not one more, hobby.
TeresaR recently posted..Vancouver – a photo-heavy post
This was fascinating! Imagine having to spend all that time for one piece!
I’m impressed. It sound so hard to do though. I am NOT a crafter. In my next life maybe?
Jennifer Margulis recently posted..The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
I was surprised to see he was pounding it on such a small piece of wood. I imagined it would be laid out on a big flat piece and pounded there.
I was expecting you to say, “First you plant a tree.”
Very very interesting, even if you don’t have to wait for the tree to grow.
Vera Marie Badertscher recently posted..Baghdad in War Time
What a cool canvas to create something else upon…collage or painting.
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