More Kapa

Here's Dalani--on the left--with a kapa. She teaches early monring seminary

Week 2: we trimmed and sanded bamboo sticks to carve a stamp design for decorating the kapa.  Greg did some lovely curvies representing humpback whales breaching.  I did a boring triangle, calling it shark teeth.  We all enjoy the friendly talk during class.  Andrew comes.  Now Greg is no longer the only male. Dalani’s daughter is at the hospital dialated to 6 in labor with grand daughter 2.  The first grand daughter only stayed 5 minutes, so Dalani is very excited.

Week 3: we pounded fermented very sour smelling kapa on hardwood anvils-sitting on the floor again.   Hawaiian kapa is fermented, breaking down fibers and rearrangeing fibers for strength and smoothness—like felt, but stronger.   The loud pounding rules out much talking.  Then we accordion folded our kappa and put water in the bag for more fermentation.   Dalani’s daughter was sent home to wait.  They will induce delivery on Saturday.

Week 4: we pounded again, this time folding once to give shredded strands some coverage.  Greg and I sit rudely sticking our leg out while the others sit politely  in Indian position.  A small film crew comes to film our pounding.  We are starting to learn how to pound; Dalani deftly moves our strands and gives us individual help again.  By the end of class I am so stiff I can hardly walk.  My sit down bones are still hurting Saturday eve during the stake conference meeting—and they are still hurting today—Monday.  

Dalani’s grand daughter is 6 pounds (Samoan babies are twice that weight), but she’s perfect and really cute.  Dalani is sacrificing her baby time to come to class.  Baby is named Bailey, after her gggg grandfather missionary who came to Hawaii.  He was the only one who married a Hawaiian.  He built a girls school.  The others simply intermarried the white missionaries.  Their names are Castle, Cook, and Dole.  Recognize those names?  They got away with huge tracts of land in Hawaii while native Hawaiians wait for a small plot of homestead land to put a modest home on.

Linda

Linda