All things Tapa, Photos and more....

Don't think there is a thread on this yet.
I have cut up some Tapa to make lights before and thought it was a shame to do that.
So I thought it would be nice to show it here in full sheet form before I cut it and
even show the light made out of it after.

This would be a good place for books, lamps shades and other Tapa items as well.

Tapa was used in the Kahiki, Trader Vic's, Don the Beachcombers, heck almost all tiki bars really.
It was put on the walls and made into lights.
Tapa is very tiki.
It can be pricy though.

Got this book via eBay, it's not that good really.
Not many pictures, would not buy again.

2 Foot by 3 Foot sheet of Fiji Tapa.

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Lights for home and
commercial TIKI bars.

Here's a small piece of Tapa Cloth that I used on Todd Rundgren's Tiki Bar on Kauai aka Tiki Iniki

( myself, Bamboo Ben on the left and Todd rundgren on the right )

Great addition Ben!
Think of all the time it took to make that.

Ok you got you sheet of Tapa now what?
We saw that BambooBen™ used Tapa on Todd Rundgren's Tiki Bar on Kauai aka Tiki Iniki.

BUT you could make a light out of it.

Tikiskip light.



Oceanic Arts light

Light by Monkeyman.


Light by Kahaka.

You could use it to make a lamp shade.
First lamp shade from the Kahiki in Columbus, Ohio.(Not real Tapa by made to look like Tapa)

Later version of Kahiki lamp shade. (again not real tapa, but Tapa inspired)
Copy by Tikiskip.

Lamp shade by Tikiskip.
This is real Tapa.

You could take the idea of Tapa patterns and use as décor for the front of your restaurant...

Or even on the walls.
Trader Vic's San Francisco.

Many more ideas to come.

•:•:••:•:••:•:••:•:••:•:••:"If you do fine work you will never die":••:•:••:•:••:•:••:•:••:•:•
TIKISKIP

Lights for home and
commercial TIKI bars.

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2015-06-05 08:10 ]

I used over 30 different Tapa Cloths ( Fijian and Tongan/Samoan) on the walls at the Kona Club in Oakland, Ca. Most of them came from the owner as he has been collecting them for many moons.
We even used a few Kapa Cloths from Hawaii. Here's a couple in the hallway to the bathrooms.

So if a pro like Ben uses Tapa you know it's Tiki.
Thanks Ben.

How about a desk top.
Bill Sapps desk from the Kahiki, No this one IS bills, Believe me.(Right Greg?)

Tapa inspired Gift shop bag Kahiki, date unknown.

Déjà vu

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[ Edited by: tikiskip 2015-06-05 15:24 ]

Here's a Tongan/Samoan style Tapa Cloth that I used in the back hut at Frankie's Tiki Room ( behind Moss and myself. press pic for when it first opened).
This Tapa Cloth has a lot of meaning to it. A really good Aussie friend of mine had her life taken away in Las Vegas . This Tapa was made for her funeral. Her brother ( a really good friend of mine too) asked me if I wanted it a few years later. I told him I have the perfect use for it.

That's so sad. I'll remember this next time we go to Frankie's. You mad a beautiful room. Wendy

Good point Ben Tapa was used in rituals as well as other uses.
Here is a YouTube video of Tapa.

Remember they had to grow and tend to the mulberry trees.
Then harvest the bark used in making the cloth as well as make the inks and dyes.
Many steps in making this cloth.
These steps can be found on YouTube.

And Wendy even used a tapa like pattern on some of her mugs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7Cap1ypBMg&list=PLJM1HAV0dGD0UFmjZm-p97UW6vzik-Kgn&index=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rDLNEDrpWw&list=PLJM1HAV0dGD0UFmjZm-p97UW6vzik-Kgn&index=2

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2015-06-09 17:28 ]

Here are my Tapa lamps and stuff, all from Oceanic Arts. I got them in late 1990's.

This piece is quiet large about 3 1/2 feet high.

On 2015-06-11 18:08, hiltiki wrote:

This is a cool light.
Is it on a pole?
Does it have four sides?

show a few more shots please.

Thanx for adding!

T-Skip,

Looks like a Tapa Sconce. OA still sells them. See below

Bamboo Ben
Custom Tropical Decor
I build Tiki Rooms for you! Just ask around :wink:
https://www.facebook.com/bamboo.ben

[ Edited by: RevBambooBen 2015-06-12 09:39 ]

Here's one on this page http://www.oceanicarts.net/oa_cat-tropical-lighting.htm

Since I'm here here are a few more things TAPA :wink: .

Here are a bunch of the lamps I repaired at the Kon Tiki Tucson back in 2006.

AFTER

BEFORE

( College kids on Scorpion Bowls and 0% humidity reek havok on Tapa ) :wink:

And.... here are a few of my own I made recently.

Hut Lamp Swag ( but sitting on table in photo) with a mini Sam's Seafood glass float.

Mug Hut Swag. A Bamboo Ben Original. Show off your fave tiki mugs in style!

Port Tapa Drum Hut

Starboard Tapa Drum Hut

The last 2 ( port and starboard) are modeled after the 2 I Did at Frankie's Tiki Room In Las Vegas( hanging over the kidney bean communal table) . This is actually Tapa left over
from when I built it. I save scraps from every build, make stuff, then pass em' on to you! :wink:

They're wonderful RevBambooBen! I aspire to having something that beautiful and unique in our home Hokulani Lounge someday :)

Nice lights Ben.
Great design on all of these, love the hatch to change the bulb on the rehab lights.
I put a Tikiskip logo sticker on the Kahiki lights I have worked on to show that a rehab was done on them
and that they are from the Kahiki.

Here is my smoker.
How is a smoker going to work in a thread on Tapa?

Like this....
To see more of this smoker go to here....
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=18485&forum=18&start=795&805

Tapa smoke stack.

THANX FOR LOOKIN/ADDIN!
More to come....

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Some photos for your thread.

Museum exhibit of Kanathea patterns, consisting of paper stencils and banana leaf stencils for decorating bark cloth, photographed after 1914 by Arthur Maurice Hocart. The artifacts are identified as being from Taveuni, Fiji.

Five specimens of native "tapa" (native cloth), native pottery made from red clay and glazed, head of hair belonging to a "Kai Colo" or mountain man. Circa 1881.

Tapa cloth exhibit at an agricultural show and fair in Western Samoa. Photograph taken by Alfred James Tattersall between 1880s-1930s.

No need to have a boring bookshelf. Cover it in tapa.

Nice Lori.
It's a shame not to put Tapa in a spot where you can't see it everyday.
The bookshelf idea is a great one.

Swanky has some links on how to hang Tapa here.
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=18282&forum=1&22

-==--==--==--==-Google "Tiki bar lights" To find TIKISKIP-==--==--==--==-

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Here is some Tapa I had laying around.
Got these from OA many years ago.

For me the smaller patterns work best for lights and this is why I buy
the sheets of Tapa with smaller patterns as these sheets will one day be made into lights.

This one is 2 foot by 2 foot....

And this one is a larger 4 feet by 6 feet....

TIKISKIP: Maker of TIKI bar lighting, Let me make one for you.

Ok just saw Gilligan's Island: Lovey's Secret Admirer Season 3, Episode 19.
Well Mr. Howell and Mrs. Howell have Tapa blankets in the first part of the show.
Never saw that before.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0784361/

Tapa lamp shade I made.
you can see the full Tapa sheet here in this thread.

Stunning shade...great craftsmanship. OGR