Tuesday, July 1, 2025

How To Make Newsprint Taro and Paper Pulp Poi

Finished newspaper faux 'taro' roots. Kalo is the name for Taro root given by the islanders.

       "Taro is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and petioles. Taro corms are a food staple in AfricanOceanicEast AsianSoutheast Asian and South Asian cultures (similar to yams). Taro is believed to be one of the earliest cultivated plants." Read More . . . 

       To make taro roots for your Hawaiian doll market you will need some: old newsprint, masking tape, acrylic paints, a chenille stem, one or two cotton balls depending upon how many pretend taro root you wish to make and Mod Podge.

Step-by-Step Photo Details for Crafting Taro Root:

Left, tear newsprint into strips. Center, crush it and roll it into a 'root' shape. Right, make
 several rolled shapes some larger, some smaller and glue these inside of each other until
 the pretend taro root is represented in a variety of shapes and sizes. 

Left, poke and insert chenille stems to represent cut stalks where the taro root once had
 leaves.Center, add more rolled details from masking tape. Right, wrap shredded cotton
 for white highlighted areas. Brush on stems with acrylic green paints. Paint finished
 masked areas using browns and white paints. Glue on white threads for this tiny
detailing. Watch video below to see taro in different stages while
being prepared into a poi.

Hawaiian Skies teaches about Poi and
More Ways to Prepare Taro Leaves by foodfaq

The finished paper mache "poi"
       The popular "poi" dish made in Hawaii has a distinct purple color when combined with several varieties of taro. Poi also has a smooth texture after the taro root has been pounded. You can make a similar looking faux dish yourself for your dolls to feast on using paper mache pulp.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Bowl of Poi:
  1. Poi is often served in a carved Koa wooden bowl by the head of a tribe (chief) or ''host.'' These bowls, also called calabash, are historically important to native Hawaiians. I have used here a square carved bowl to hold our doll's poi. I do not know weather or not if it is made of Koa wood, however.
  2. Cover the inside of the bowl with plastic wrap or tin foil to protect it from the drying paper pulp.
  3. Mix together this paper pulp according to the directions included with the package and then scoop it from the mixing bowl into the lined wooden dish and let it dry for several days. The pulp will take on the shape of the bowl but shrink slightly so that it may be removed from the dish once it has hardened.
  4. Once the pulp is completely dry, paint it the shade of purple shown above. Layer on Mod Podge to give your poi a professional finish.

Left, the 18" doll-sized wooden bowl. Center, line the bowl with tin foil or plastic wrap.
 Right, you can see the mixed paper pulp is shaped down inside of the foil
to take on the exact size of the dish.

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