The Tapa Makers - Honolulu, Oahu, HI
Posted by: 
denben
N 21° 16.972 W 157° 50.208
4Q E 620666 N 2353898
These bronze statues by KaMille, erected on the grounds of the Hilton Hawaiian Village, depict three female figures making tapa, or kapa, a traditional art practiced in Hawaii in which cloth is made from tree bark.
Waymark Code: WMRJH2
Location: Hawaii, United States
Date Posted: 06/28/2016
Views: 6
"These bronze statues honor Puanani Kanemura Van Dorpe, a master tapa maker, and two legendary sisters named La’ahana and Lauhuki who first perfected the craft of converting tree bark into fine, colorful cloth. These sculptures by artist KaMille were erected during a tribute ceremony for Van Dorpe at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on November 2006." (
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Abstract of the article titled "Sculpture Celebrates Master Kapa Maker":
"It was an afternoon of kanikapila and aloha yesterday at the Hilton Hawaiian Village when master kapa maker Puanani Kanemura Van Dorpe was honored at the unveiling of "The Tapa Makers," a sculpture commissioned by Hilton Hawaii from the artist KaMille.
The dramatic oversized work represents Van Dorpe pounding kapa while watched over by the Lauhuki a me La'ahana, the patron goddesses of kapa makers.
Van Dorpe is known for having engaged in a 30-plus year study of kapa-making, studying all the available sources on Hawaiian bark cloth manufacturing and putting them to the practical test until she was able to reproduce the particularly silky and fine cloth that characterized Hawaii."