Ka ua Pōpōkapa o Nuʻuanu. The tapa-bundling rain of Nuʻuanu.
The Pōpōkapa rain is so-called because anyone who came up Nuʻuanu Pali from the windward side had to bundle his garments and hold his arms against his chest to keep from getting wet. (Pukuʻi). The kapa or Hawaiian barkcloth is a fibrous cloth our kūpuna wore to adorn and protect themselves from the natural elements. This art form at one time was essential to our Hawaiian people. It was a sacred activity that required great attention from the beginning to the end of the process. With the introduction of Western influence, fabricated materials were more easily acquired. Today the art of kuku kapa is still being practiced. Practitioners have introduced modern uses of kapa but it is still being utilized in traditional burial rites with our iwi kupuna and as traditional hula attire.
Cultural Practitioners
Analū Kameʻeiāmoku Josephides Cruze
Analu Kameeiamoku Josephides Cruze, was born and raised in Waianae, Oahu to a Kanaka Maoli-Portuguese mother and a Greek-Cypriot father. Analu holds a B.A. in Hawaiian Studies with a focus in traditional Society, a MLISc in Library and Information Science with a concentration on Indigenous & Native Hawaiian Librarianship and preservation and conservation of archival records; and is currently a Ph.D. student at SUNY University at Buffalo, Graduate School of Education – Information Science Program. His academic research focus is on developing an indigenous information literacy framework and how ancestral knowledge can lend to student learning in a two-year institution. He is a renown and lauded Kanaka Maoli Genealogist with over 30 years of experience having been trained, mentored, and groomed by his Mahoe and Kaawa kupuna. His professional genealogical work includes, but isn’t limited to repatriation of funerary objects, protection of iwikupuna, traditional burial practices, documenting of Kanaka Maoli genealogy for scholarships and blood quantum, working with the United Nations on Indigenous Peoples issues, and working with PBS New York on their award-winning television program Finding Your Roots. He currently resides in West Hollywood, California where he is pursuing his film and stage career with four films under his belt, 3 stage plays with the Santa Monica Playhouse, and an author of both non-fiction and scholarly work.
Dalani Tanahy
Dalani Tanahy is a native of San Diego California with roots in Maui and O’ahu. Her maternal grandparents are Edward Bailey and Emily Kane of Wailuku, Maui. Her paternal grandparents are Emily and Arthur Enos of La’ie, O’ahu. She grew up spending her summers in La`ie and knew she would return to live in Hawai’i one day. As a child, she enjoyed the slow tedious work involved in crocheting, knitting, embroidering and quilting. Dalani made her first i`e kuku and hohoa beaters over sixteen years ago through the help of Kawai Aona-Ueoka. Her first experience teaching kapa started at the Cultural Learning Center at Ka’ala in Wai’anae. She found the perfect marriage of art and education through creating and sharing the art of kapa and was inspired to start Kapa Hawaii. Kapa Hawaii teaches people about the types of Polynesian bark cloth collectively known as ‘tapa’ with a special emphasis on the tapa or ‘kapa’ made in the Hawaiian Islands.
Kawai Aona-Ueoka
Kawai Bio
October 14, 2023
Our ʻohana begin their journey with building pilina to our wahi of Waipao and to pōhaku. Kumu Kawailani spoke about her experiences and the importance of our relationship with pōhaku. Kumu Kanaʻi teaches us about kālai pōhaku, the Hawaiian cultural practice and art of carving stone. Our families visit our kahawai and embark on making their ʻulu maika.
PART 1
Kapa & Our Ancestors
PART 2
Kapa & Our Ancestors
PART 3
Kapa & Our Ancestors
PART 4
Kapa & Our Ancestors
PART 5
Kapa & Our Ancestors
