I made this website not only to serve as a portfolio for my creative practice, but as a means by which to share various resources. I believe strongly in making public information easily accessible to our community. Below, you will find a curated selection of digitized books, articles, and websites, including projects and publications of my own.
For recent updates including calls to action, events, and workshops, please visit my Linktree or Instagram.
I highly recommend this living document which lists people and organizations to support and follow, including Kanaka ʻŌiwi creatives and local activist groups doing invaluable community work.
KAPA RESOURCES
“Specimens of Hawaiian Kapa” is a collection of 95 folios compiled by antiquarian Don R. Severson in 1978. Each folio contains a book outlining the history of kapa and several samples of historic kapa, cut from larger sheets. I have digitized three copies that exist in local institutions.
Kuku Kapa and Pilina ʻĀina StoryMap (graduate project in which I interviewed five kūpuna kapa makers; ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi version available and linked in English version)
Kapa Kulture blog (no longer updating but an absolute favorite site)
Full PDF of Ka Hana Kapa (William T. Brigham was a horrid, racist old white man, and he says some awful stuff in this book; however, there are aspects of this work that remain useful for kapa practitioners when you sift through the crap)
Research paper on using paper mulberry as a proxy for understanding human migration
Books I have found invaluable in my studies on kapa, Hawaiian flora, and Kanaka-lāʻau relationships:
Tapa in Polynesia by Simon Kooijman (highly recommended as a kapa resource)
South Kohala Resource Collection: a list of websites and other materials that I curated, pertaining to the Kohala Hema (South Kohala) region. Topics include local flora, moʻolelo, ethnographic work, and music.
Starr Environmental: my go-to website for help with identifying local plants.
Native Plants Hawaiʻi: my other go-to for plant stuff. Note that their search function is broken and you will need to browse plants by name alphabetically.