ʻOhe Kāpala

”A pēlā no ka lohe aku i ke kapalili o ka ʻohe kāpala e kīkīkoʻu ʻana ka wēlau o ka ʻohe i ka waha o ke kāpala.”

Kamakau, Samuel. “Ka Moʻolelo Hawaiʻi.” Ke Au ʻOkoʻa, 1870.

And this is how the movement of the bamboo stamp is heard, through the tapping sound made from the tip of the bamboo to the mouth of the stamp.

ʻOhe kāpala is a traditional Kanaka Hawaiʻi form of woodblock printing that utilizes small strips of hand-carved bamboo stamped in repetition to create large matrices of pattern. The art of ʻohe kāpala evolved alongside kapa, a traditional bark cloth made from wauke, mamaki, ʻulu and other plants.

Kapa adorned in ʻohe kāpala symbolizes a profound cultural aesthetic that honors the relationship between land and people, uplifts the beauty and lessons of nature, and perpetuates Kanaka Hawaiʻi culture.

Each design carries symbolic meaning inspired by nature, history, genealogy, events, and traditional stories.

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