`Opihi Aloha shirt

item details

Name`Opihi Aloha shirt

ProductionKupu A'e; manufacturer(s); 2017; Hawaii
Kala'e Tangonan; artist; Hawaii

Classificationaloha shirts

Materialssilk, coconut

Materials SummaryDip dye process

Techniquesbatik, dye transfer process

DimensionsApproximate: 840mm (height), 1110mm (length)

Registration NumberFE013086

Credit lineField Collection 2017

Overview

Made with aloha

This shirt was made by Kala’e Tonganan, who runs a small ōhana (family) business called Kupu A'e on Moloka'i Island, Hawai'i. As she states 'We have Kupuna, Makua, Keiki and Pēpē involved in all that we do on a daily basis'. They create one-off garments, and use a variety of processes including batik, silk screen printing kāpala or stamping.

'Every piece of art is crafted with Aloha and inspired by all that we are as poʻe Hawaiʻi and our lifestyle here on Molokai'.

This silk shirt has been made using a combination of dip dying and batik, one of Kala'e's favourite processes.

Staying steadfast

The shirt features opihi, a type of shell fish only found in Hawai’i. Opihi suction onto rocks along the shoreline, and are extremely difficult to detach. If not done successfully the first time, they can prove harder with each attempt. Kala’e likens the steadfastness of the people of Moloka’i to opihi.

'We are on this rock, we have to create our own environment and as soon as somebody wants to come and take you away, we're not gonna move. We like to stand fast'.

The people of Moloka'i, the majority of whom are Hawaiian, and are renowned for standing fast when it comes to preserving Moloka'i's environment and cultural heritage, and are wary of large scale developments. (1)

Co-collecting in Hawai'i

This shirt was acquired by Te Papa during a co-collecting trip to Hawai'i in 2017. Te Papa worked with Noelle Kahanu, a cultural specialist from the University of Hawai‘i, to develop collection of aloha shirts that reflects the ways in which Hawaiian culture has been historically represented, and misrepresented, through the aloha shirt, and the ways in which contemporary native Hawaiian designers are utilising the aloha shirt to communicate indigenous cultural values. This shirt was purchased from Kupu A'e on Moloka'i Island.

Te Papa’s co-collecting programmes are guided by the principle of mana taonga – the sharing authority with stakeholder communities.　

References

1. Molokai: Future of a Hawaiian Island prepared by members of the Molokai Community. https://www.molokai.org/files/Molokai.Future.of.a.Hawaiian.Island.pdf