COMMISSIONED KAPA ARTS
Commissioned kapa works are about YOU!
I am very pleased that people have asked me to help them tell their stories through the art of traditional Hawaiian kapa. Anciently, the most beautiful and decorative kapa would have been made for the Ali`i, or royalty. Nowadays, everyone can enjoy the richness of our Hawaiian culture as portrayed though this art. I grow my own wauke, or paper mulberry trees, aka Brousonettia papyrifera and use all natural dyes that I grow or gather myself.
Because some of the dyes are not extremely colorfast, I will discuss with you the possibility of adding watercolor inks to the dye to help strengthen and maintain colors, especially if a piece will be displayed in a bright area. The processing of the bark of this tree into a soft, pliable "cloth" is time consuming and sometimes painful work, but also joyful as I create something for you to cherish for years to come.
Dalani Tanahy
Kapa Artwork
A totally sustainable and "green" art. I grow my own paper mulberry (wauke) at home in Makaha Hawaii. Without the trees you dont have the kapa so its a critical part of this art.
My designs are a combination of the artistry of our ancestors and my own thoughts and sense of design. Sometimes I will recreate kapa that are deep in museum vaults in order to make sure they can be seen and appreciated.
"Na`ano kapa he nui wale"
The kinds of kapa were great indeed
​S.M Kamakau
"Bark cloth is a product of tropical countries, and its manufacture encircles the globe. Within Polynesia itself...the Hawaiian bark cloth (kapa) displays the greatest varieties of texture and colored designs. The Hawaiians appeared to have concentrated on making as many varieties of kapa as they could devise."
Sir Peter Buck; Arts and Crafts of Hawaii, Clothing
Kapa Clothes
The Baby Kapa
Keiki is the Hawaiian word that usually means child, but kama, or kamali`i, refers to a beloved child.
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Kapa Inspired Interior Design
Kapa In Your Home
Although ancient Hawaiians didn't hang kapa on the walls of their homes, there's no reason you cant!
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Kapa In High Places
A great honor for me as a Hawaiian kapa maker has been to create works of native Hawaiian art for corporate offices, hotels, malls and other public spaces.
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Burial Kapa
As kapa makers, our most sacred traditional duty is to make sure the remains of our ancestors can be wrapped in kapa
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