Kūlua | Wahine Aloha Shirt - white

ʻO “kū i ke kaila” kekahi ʻōlelo o kēia au hou i hoʻopuka ʻia ke ʻike aku i ke kanaka hao a paʻihi, ʻaʻahu hoʻi i ka lole nani e kinikohu ai ke kūlana, e hiehie ai hoʻi ka helena. ʻAʻole naʻe kēia he mea hou. Pēlā nō nā kūpuna o ke au iā Kamehameha, a ma mua paha ona. He mea pili aliʻi paha ma kekahi ʻano, ʻoiai iā lākou wale nō ka ʻahu ʻula, ka lei palaoa, a me nā kapa kīnohinohi a ʻōniʻoniʻo i hoʻonoʻenoʻe ʻia me ka noʻeau e nā lima mikioi o ia wā. Loaʻa maila ia ʻano kapa nani i nā aliʻi ma o ka mālama ʻana paha i nā loea kuku a haku lau, a pēlā pū ka ʻauhau ʻana i ka poʻe makaʻāinana. I ka wā ʻauhau, ahu maila ka puʻu waiwai o ke aliʻi a laila māhele ʻia akula i waena o ke alo aliʻi, i mea hoʻi e lāko ai ia poʻe i ka malo, ka pāʻū, ke kīhei, me nā mea a pau e pono ai. Ma mua naʻe o ia māhele ʻana, ua koho paha ke aliʻi i nā kapa nani ʻoi kelakela nona iho (a ʻo ia paha kekahi o nā mea i hāʻawi ʻia aku i nā kāpena moku a luina haole o ke au i hala?). ʻO nā kapa maikaʻi a pau i hana ʻia e nā aliʻi a me nā makaʻāinana o ko Kamehameha aupuni, ua hōʻike mua ʻia aku iā Kaʻahumanu. Iā ia ke koho mua a ua maopopo loa iā ia kahi e ʻimi ai: “ʻO nā ʻāina kuku kapa maikaʻi mai Hawaiʻi a Oʻahu, a ʻo nā aliʻi a pau i aʻo i ka loea, i ka hoʻoluʻu, i ke kāpala, i ke kuku, i ke ʻano loea i kēlā mea nani i kēia mea nani e pili ana i nā mea ʻaʻahu, a me nā pāʻū. ʻO nā aliʻi a me nā makaʻāinana, ʻo Kaʻahumanu ka makamua o ia mau mea nani a pau, aia a ʻike mua ʻo Kaʻahumanu.” (Kamakau, Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, 26 September 1868)

Some of the most radical designs our kūpuna produced live on kapa now kept at the British Museum in London. Perhaps the largest collection of mea kūpuna (ancestral items) outside of Hawaiʻi, it holds some of the oldest pieces of kapa in existence. They were taken out of Hawaiʻi between 1779 and 1789, either by Captain James Cook on his last trip, or by his understudy Captain George Vancouver. We don’t know who created or owned them, or what island they came from. We do know that both these captains had dealings with Hawaiian chiefs. They exchanged goods and received gifts, including high value items like ʻahu ʻula, and intricately decorated kapa. The design reproduced here comes from these earliest collections of kapa. While it’s not among the most complex, its consistent visual rhythm and the deeply attractive earth tones (see original) come together to make magic that feels regal. Like most pieces from this era, the design was applied with a lapa (bamboo lining tool). In this case, they laid down the linear pattern with a single blade lapa, then filled the triangles, perhaps using brushes made from hala keys. We named our version Kūlua for the bi-color triangles, the two versions of this design that now exist (one from the past and one from this time), and for the notion that Hawaiian practices require us to continually seek the knowledge of our kūpuna, while also innovating for the times we live in. When makers sit with historic pieces, the noʻeau of the past comes into the present. See the original piece that inspired this design on Kealopiko Moʻolelo: Kūlua.