NATIONAL TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN – 2022 NTBG Online Auction
Auction Ends: Sep 7, 2022 06:00 PM HST

Art

Decorated Gourd

Item Number
185
Estimated Value
300 USD
Sold
130 USD to jacole
Number of Bids
3  -  Bid History

Item Description

Measurements: 13 inches tall 7 1/8 inches wide

This gourd is decorated with a technique invented on the island of Niihau and was dyed from the interior. 

This gourd was dyed using the Niihau method of ipu decoration (Umeke Pawehe). Artist Michael Harburg decorates these gourds in a method that was used in old Hawaii on the island of Niihau. These "decorated gourds" were made for their own use, as a trade item to the other islands, and in the late 1800s as souvenirs for the visiting sailors. At the end of the 19th Century, the knowledge of this method was lost with the demise of artisans of Niihau. In museums, the surviving specimens are lebeled as "dyed by an unknown method." Around 1990 a medical doctor name Bruce Kaimiloa Chrisman, from the Hamakua coast of Hawaii, rediscovered the ancient Hawaiian's technique that was used to create these amazing gourds. Michael met Bruce in 1997 who told him the basics of this method; by trial and error and persistence he has mastered this unique art form.

See "The Tattooed Gourds of Hawaii" on YouTube.

Item Special Note

All bids are final and there will be no exchange or refunds. Auction winner will be responsible for all shipping costs and processing fee, to be added at the end of auction. Auctions items purchased are subject to Hawaii State General excise tax of 4.712%.

Local pickup can be arranged at our headquarters office in Kalaheo, HI. Items must be picked up in 60 days.

Donated By:

Michael Harburg