Kapa Classes
Year-long kapa class examining kapa collection at the Queen Emma Summer Palace Honolulu, Hawaii
Our class had the privilege of handling the precious historic kapa at Queen Emma's summer Palace, it evoked a sense of beauty and appreciation of those unseen skilled hands that created these works of art that were used as everyday linens or for ceremonial use. It is amazing to see the quality of these kapa lasting at least a 100 years. We all strive towards that quality set by na Kupuna.
Phyllis ‘Coochie’ Cayan, Mililani, Hawaii
The arts of Kapa making are many and include horticulture and ethno-botany, wood working, stone work, carving, and an understanding of natural resources, their availability and the correct way to gather and use them. It also involves patience combined with strength and finesse to properly beat kapa, as well as the physical ability to work very hard while staying relatively still.
I have been a kapa teacher for over 20 years and have worked with students of all ages, from Kindergarten to Kupuna.
Contact me for fees and date availability if you are interested in kapa class for your group. Class content and time can be very flexible according to your needs. All classes include some type of hands-on activity and something to take with you as a memento of your kapa class experience.
If you are interested in a Hawaiian culture and arts demonstration featuring Hawaiian Kapa, please contact me about that. I have been able to share our native arts with many groups and conventions locally and internationally, including kapa demonstrations at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC, the Festival of Pacific Arts in American Samoa, the Tapa Symposium in Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia and the May Day Ho`olaule`a and Hula Festival in Japan.
Monthly classes at the Honolulu Art Museum.
Check their website for schedule and to register.
