Catalog Number
|
Catalog Number |
CAS 1989-0006-0002 | |
| Category | Textiles | |
| Object Name | Kapa fragment | |
| Culture | Polynesian: Hawaiian | |
| Global Region | Oceania | |
| Country | USA | |
| State/Prov./Dist. | Hawaii | |
| County | ||
| Other Geographic Data | unknown | |
| Maker's Name | Unknown | |
| Date of Manufacture | ca. early to mid 1800s | |
| Collection Name | Ostheimer Collection (Hawaiian) | |
| Materials | Bark | |
| Description | Large rectangular fragment of kapa, made by beating strips of bark into thin sheets and then overlapping the sheets to form a larger cloth; Extant fragment is a natural off-white or tan color on its back face and pink on the front face; Pink color is possibly derived from bits of red "turkey cloth", a cotton fabric introduced by missionaries which the natives raveled into threads which were then beaten into the kapa to produce this distinctive pink color; No discernible watermark is present; One long edge of fragment is folded over and secured with two parallel rows of hand stitching with plied white thread that extend across entire width of fragment; Fold line and line for hand stitching are marked on reverse in pencil; Hand stitched threads are tied off at one end, indicating an original end of the finished cloth or garment; That same end is also marked by a pencil line, indicating where the larger cloth was to be cut; Opposite short end of fragment is also cut but lacks any pencil park, while second long edge of fragment has been torn. | |
| Dimensions (cm) | Width = 30.2, Length = 16.9 | |