Kikakapu Slub Vneck
Hawaiians call it kikakapu, but English nicknames for Chaetodon auriga include “threadfin” or “cross stripe” butterfly fish. It is a common reef dwelling species throughout the Indo-Pacific region, also occurring in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Although they can be seen in groups, kikakapu mate with a single partner. A pair will often establish and defend a territory of up to 300 square feet. They feed on a variety of things including sea worms, anemones, coral polyps, and algae. Their fancy decorations make them extra appealing to harvesters in the aquarium trade, but we think they are better off enjoyed in their natural habitats. Although they were not popular for eating because they have so little meat, early Hawaiians did see metaphoric and aesthetic value in the fish. In the story of Kaipalaoa, “ke keiki hoopapa” (the youth skilled in riddling), this youngster goes to Wailua, Kauai to avenge the death of his father, Halepaki, at the hands of the chief Kalanialiiloa. Kaipalaoa goes to the residence of the chief, who is completing his fence of human bones. He pulls out the “pahu kapu” (“kapu stick” or stake defining an important boundary), and replaces it with a kikakapu - a symbolic act of hoopapa and the beginning of their contest of wits. An old chant (versions of which exist for both the chiefess Piikea and her brothers and for Kauikeaouli) speaks of a chief whose forehead is tattooed with the stripes and streaks of the sacred fish: Na kioki onio o ka ia kapu.
• 100% organic slub cotton
• eco-friendly materials & dye methods
• designed in Hawaii
• made in the USA
$40.00