Handmade Hawaiian Gourds
See video of Penny carving gourds at kona village:
History of Ni'ihau Ipu (Gourd) DecorationI use the Ni'ihau method to decorate my gourds ("Ipu" in Hawai'ian) which was used in old Hawai'i on the island of Ni'ihau.
Ni'ihau is the smallest of the eight major Hawaiian Islands and is off the coast of Kaua'i.
This art form was lost to history at the turn of the 20th century as the practitioners died and native vessels were replaced by western crockery. There were examples of this art in museums but how they were decorated was unknown.
About fifteen years ago a dentist from the Big Island, Ka'imiloa Chrisman, discovered how it was done. By going through the archives, looking at museum pieces and by trial and error, he recreated the dyeing method used by the old Hawaiians.
The Ni'ihau Method of Gourd Decoration:
- I harvest a gourd while the skin is still green and the stem is starting to turn brown.
- Next I draw a design on the gourd with a pen.
- Then the design is outlined with a knife cutting only into the skin, not into the shell.
- Skin is then lifted off the gourd where the design is to remain light colored, the skin left will dye dark.
- A hole is made in the gourd and thick black coffee is added to the interior as a dye. Any water-based dye will work. Hawaiians used tannins derived from tree bark.
- Where the skin was removed, the gourd seals itself and will not dye. Where the skin was left it is still evaporating and the dye will be drawn out and will remain in the shell of the gourd.
- After three to four weeks the coffee is poured out and most of the soft tissue of the gourd will come out with it.
- The skin that was left on is scraped off and underneath it is the dyed pattern.
- The gourd is then dried, lightly sanded and finished with tung oil.
- A sealant is put in the interior to further preserve this work of art.
