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Accepted Paper:
Kapa, Cloth, and Self-Fashioning, 1800-1860
Sarah Tamashiro
(University of Hawaii at Manoa)
Paper short abstract:
While anthropological approaches can provide insight about changing values and trends in Hawaiian dress, Hawaiian language texts better timeline Hawaiian changes in self-fashioning in the 19th century.
Paper long abstract:
Kapa (barkcloth), its manufacture, and use is one of the most studied areas of Pacific Art History and Material Culture. Contemporary researchers that are seeking answers about what led to the decline in use and production of Hawaiian kapa in the 19th century have depended heavily on stylistic details and material analysis to build their chronology. While anthropological approaches can provide insight about changing values and trends in Hawaiian dress, Hawaiian language texts better timeline Hawaiian changes in self-fashioning in the 19th century. Utilizing Hawaiian language primary sources, "Kapa, Cloth, and Self-Fashioning, 1800-1860" will consider how changing modes of Hawaiian self-fashioning led to new uses and methods of creating kapa and the increased availability of kapa for trade with foreigners. How can Hawaiian textual sources better contextualize the provenance of Hawaiian kapa in museums? How can Hawaiian language reactivate objects of cultural significance?