Lehuauakea
Textile creator
Santa Fe, NM, USA
Recommended by American Craft Council
The ancestral power of kapa
- Lehuauakea carries and expands on the ancestral practice of kapa making
- They learned the craft from master kapa maker Wesley Sen
- Their works have been exhibited and collected internationally
Lehuauakea has a deeply personal relationship with kapa, the traditional Hawaiian textile made from the bark of the wauke, known as paper mulberry tree. The bark is soaked and pounded into a soft, flexible fabric, often coloured with plant dyes and adorned with geometric patterns. Lehuauakea is a Kanaka ʻŌiwi Native Hawaiian, and as an artist now splits their time between New Mexico and O’ahu. "Kapa is a way for me to stay connected to my roots," they say. "Learning how to make kapa felt like coming home to myself." Lehuauakea brings the traditional barkcloth into a contemporary context, drawing on the process and history of the practice to tell stories relevant to today. Their work has earned them many awards, residencies and fellowships, and their inventive kapa-based installations have been exhibited at museums around the globe.
INTERVIEW
I grew up knowing about the practice, but I did not find a teacher until after graduating with a BFA at 22 years old. I quickly realised that kapa making was a way to bring together my love for pattern, natural materials and cultural expression.
My primary tools are all traditional: carved, patterned and grooved wooden beaters, strips of bamboo for block printing tiny motifs, and a large wooden anvil on which to beat the bark into kapa. I also use mortars and pestles to process my pigments.
This ancestral practice was nearly lost until only a few decades ago. I am part of a group of practitioners perpetuating the art of kapa making. I am inspired by those who passed this knowledge to me, and those who will follow in my footsteps.
Though I work with a foundational knowledge of ancestral techniques and materials, I am not afraid to experiment with new forms, incorporate different media, and address contemporary concepts. It keeps my kapa making exciting and in constant flux.
