Skirt

Bark Cloth

A large, yellow, rectangular pa’u ( skirt) made of the inner bark of a tree. A square has been removed from one corner of the bark cloth. A patterned bark beater with a niho mano (shark teeth) motif was used in its production, leaving visible markings in the cloth. The surface decoration consists of bands of black geometric decoration along the edges and down the middle of the kapa (Hawaiian bark cloth). Small parallelograms fill up the space between the lines. The designs were created with bamboo stamps (‘ohe kāpala).

Kapa cloth is produced from the inner bark of a tree, typically wauke (paper mulberry), which is cultivated, harvested, and processed through soaking, scraping, fermenting, and repeated beating to form and refine the cloth. Patterned beaters may be used during production to create watermarks that can reflect regional styles or maker affiliations. After drying, the cloth is decorated using natural dyes and bamboo implements.

Paʻu are skirts worn by women, typically constructed from bark cloth. They are generally long garments, worn by wrapping a single length of bark cloth multiple times around the body.