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Nā
Lei o Hawai`i
Types of Lei
E Komo Mai!
Visit
our Lei Day Pages
Under Construction
Types of Lei
`A`ohe pau ka `ike i ka hālau
ho`okāhi
All
knowledge is not taught in the same school
It is necessary to remember that from ancient times there has been a
certain amount of variation in terminology between different islands,
districts, and families. The Hawaiian culture and language are far more
complex, diverse, and varied than would be indicated by most tourist
publications, or even Western school texts.
kui - pierce, piercing stitch. A method of making a lei by sewing or piercing the decorative material with a needle and stringing it onto a thread. There are several styles of lei kui. Among them: 1) kui pololei - pierced down the throat of the blossom and out the petiole base. 2) kui poepoe - strung like a wheel so the face of the flowers are directly away from the thread. 3) kui lau - strung side to side forming a flat band.
At left, the classic lei kui with which most people from off the islands
are familiar. Simple orchids sewn like beads on a string, this lei is
probably the single most recognizable symbol of the Hawaiian islands. At
right, one of Leilehua's lei making haumana (students) shows her work in
progress. 
At left, Leilehua's kupuna, in 1931, wearing lei kui. At right, a pā'ū
rider representing O'ahu wears lei 'ā'ī of 'ilima sewn in the kui style.
Leilehua's lei making class show off the lei kui they have just made at the Palace Theater workshop, March 2007.