Kīkākapu | Aeʻo Romper - aqua
M
$115.00
Sale price
$115.00
Regular price
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Kīkākapu | Aeʻo Romper - aqua
$115.00
Sale price
$115.00
Regular price
100% Organic Cotton | Adjustable straps | Coconut buttons | Pockets |ʻĀina-friendly dye methods | Designed in Hawaiʻi nei | Made in the USA
Sewn from an all over print design, each piece is unique in its art placement, which will vary from what you see in the photos.
| Ae'o Romper | 'Umauma | Kīkala | Lō'ihi | Humuna o loko |
| Kīkākapu | Chest | Hips | Back length | Inseam |
| XS | 33" | 35" | 23.5" | 3.25" |
| S | 34" | 37" | 23.5" | 3.5" |
| M | 37" | 39" | 23.5" | 3.5" |
| L | 38" | 41" | 24" | 3.5" |
| XL | 41" | 43" | 24" | 3.75" |
| 2XL | 45" | 46" | 25" | 3.75" |
Model is wearing a size Medium.
Kīkākapu
He paukū no loko mai o kekahi mele no Piʻilani:
No Lono ka lae i poni ʻia i ka wai niu,I haua i ka puaʻa hiwa a Kāne,
I ka puaʻa hiwa, pūʻawa hiwa a Lono,
E Lono ē, eia kō maka lani,
Kō lau, kō muʻo, kō ʻao, kō liko,
Kō Aliʻi kapu e Kahaipiʻilani,
Kō maka e kū ana hoʻi ka malama,
Mālama ʻia ka lau kapu o Keaka,
Ka lau ʻoheʻohe o Keakamahana,
I kupu a kapalulu, kapalule ka pua,
Ka pua olōlo hemahema o Kaikilani,
Nāna ia lau olōlo, no Kanaloa,
No ka ʻīlio hulu pano i ka maka,
I noho ka ʻeleʻele i loko o ka ʻōnohi,
He kākau kīʻoki ʻōniʻo i ka lae,
He kīʻoki o ke kīkākapu,
ʻO ka iʻa kapu hīlia au ʻawahia,
ʻAwahia i lani Keaka wahine,
I kupu a malaʻo Keakealani kāne,
Iā lāua haʻi ka haka o ke kapu,
Hakahaka i ka momona o nā aliʻi nui...
Our ancient Polynesian ancestors adapted their practices and stories to the unique resources of these incredible islands and, in the process, became Hawaiʻi. How pleasant was the sound of the first kua (kapa anvil) made of kāwaʻu to the ear of the early kapa practitioner? What about the sound of the first hahau (striking stick) made of uhiuhi wood to the ear of the kahuna kākau uhi (tattoo practitioner)? As our collective ʻohana, native plants and animals form the foundation of material culture and the main wellspring of inspiration that informs Hawaiʻi aesthetics. Kīkākapu (butterflyfish) are among the fish central to the origin of kākau design (flip for mele example) and, we suspect, kapa design as well. Kāne & Kanaloa created kākau uhi to “kāpalapala” the fish with their colors and markings. Kapa and kākau uhi sat within a system of resource exchange grounded in reciprocity, wherein experts were well-supported for their work. As these arts are revived today, so too is a consciousness around their deep value and supporting practitioners who sit outside the conventional “economy” of modern day Hawaiʻi. It invites a larger conversation about what we value and where we are willing to dedicate our resources. As the name kīkākapu suggests, these fish were kapu (set aside) and not usually eaten. With their small pointed mouths they eat tiny coral polyps and worms on the reef. They often find a mate and bond for life. Honored here are three species: Chaetodon fremblii (kīkākapu) and C. miliaris (lauwiliwili) are endemic, and C. auriga (kīkākapu) is indigenous.