Your referral program

Beauty and Art for Home and Heart

HALE KAPA

The ancient Hawaiian art of kapa is alive and well in the heart of Lihu'e at the Hale Kapa. Kapa artist, Sheri Naea Abigania opened the shop to share her heritage of this Hawaiian traditional art.

Come to the store to view kapa on display.

Plain white kapa is a large part of the inventory. This kapa cloth is highly valued for cultural purposes such as burials and ceremonies. Decorated kapa in traditional or contemporary designs is a available as decorative sheets, articles of clothing, personal items and adornment.

At Hale Kapa you will find unique gifts and treasures created by many artisans from near and far in Oceania. Along with original kapa products and tools, there are lauhala products, books, jewelry and more.

Each kapa is a one of a kind work of art, an original, and all collection pieces are limited editions. Each piece of kapa is handmade from wauke trees, the preferred resource material. Wauke is also known by its scientific name, Broussonetia papyrifera, a natural botanical material that is raised and harvested sustainably in small gardens.

All design work produced on the kapa is rendered using natural earth pigments and/or botanical dyes that are collected and prepared.

Pigments, carved, hardwood kapa tools and implements are available for purchase or can be ordered. The tools are used for pounding bark cloth (kua kapa, hohoa, i'e kuku) and for printing designs ('ohe kapala)

Would you like to carve your own tools? Create designs and make prints? Malama and harvest wauke trees? Produce kapa cloth? Register for a step by step class or workshop series. Register now for classes scheduled in January 2026.

COMING SOON:

*Kapa Christmas ornaments

*La'au Lapa'au botanicals (medicinal plants) in various forms are coming soon.

*Registration opens in December for new class schedule. Learn all aspects of kapa-making and craftsmanship while you develop your artistry and mo'olelo (legends and history). Classes start in January 2026.

Kumu Sheri started the Kapa Revival Project in 2012 with a campaign to plant wauke gardens and teach students of all ages the empowerement of stregthening indigenous identity through reclamation of Native traditions, language, and cultural arts, like kapa.

Since the early 1800s, after textiles arrived in Hawai'i via the Missionaries, fabrics eventually replaced bedding, clothing, and home items that were made from kapa cloth. The fabrication of bark cloth in Hawai'i nearly came to a complete halt for a hundred years. The island nations of Fiji, Tonga and Samoa had unbroken traditions and were able to help in the restoration of the Hawaiian kapa legacy. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the art form.