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Hawaii has its own catalog ue of native and Polynesian-introduced plants used used to create textile dyes.
Hawaiian cotton, or mao, for example, can produce a range of colors from a lovely yellow to a rich forest green, depending on which part of the plant is used, according to kapa tapa maker Ka’iulani de Silva of Manoa. And the inner bark of kukui tree is used to make a reddish brown, while the burned kukui nut makes black.
"The beautiful thing about natural dyes is you can use the berries, leaves, flowers, root or bark, depending on the plant," said de Silva, who grows many of her own plants. "Anything growing in the yard, we try and see if it becomes a dye. It’s just a matter of learning what’s around us and gathering."
To make yellow, de Silva boils hot water, adds a little salt to stabilize the color and then adds mao flowers. The process is different for every color and natural material.
Tapa (kapa) maker and artist Bernice Akamine of Volcano, Hawaii, said there will be variations depending on where the plant was grown.
"If I gather from Waianae or Manoa, one may have more iron (in the soil), and that will affect the color," said Akamine.
Other variables include weather patterns, elevation, sun exposure and length of day.
"Anything that affects the plant’s growth affects the resulting dye material."
Both Akamine and de Silva say every part of a plant is used, with nothing going to waste.
"We will use the peelings of something we’ve eaten for a dye," said de Silva. "If not, we squeeze out the juices or mulch plants we use, and part of the mulch goes into culturing the soil. … Everything has a purpose."
Learning what works is a combination of research, along with trial and error, Akamine said. It’s botany combined with chemistry and cultural knowledge.
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