Arts and Crafts – Kaʻahele Hawaiʻi

Above, Kili Redondo (left) and Leinani Lozi (right), oli (chant) at the opening of the 2023 Hilo Lei Day Festival at Kalākaua Park. Photo by Rita French

Lei, the lovely garlands of Hawaiʻi, are made of many different materials, from shells to ivory, to flowers, to feathers – so many things can be crafted into beautiful adornments.

These same techniques can be used to craft other types of adornments as well.

A garland is a lei.

Worn around the neck, open or closed, it is a lei ʻāʻī – a neck lei.

Lei Day 2023, Kalākaua Park
*Photo by Rita French*

Worn on the head, it is a lei poʻo – a head lei.

Leinani Lozi wears on her head a *lei poʻo* of *kupukupu* (native sword fern) in the *hili* style. Around her neck she wears a *lei lāʻī* in the *hilo* style.
*Photo by Rita French*

Worn on a hat, it is a lei pāpale – a hat lei.

Leinaʻala Lassiter wears a *lei pāpale* (hat lei) of *loke* (rose) and *lei ʻāʻī* of *pua kiele* (gardenia) in the *kui* style as she MCs the 2023 Hilo Lei Day Festival at Kalākaua Park.
*Photo by Rita French*

A short garland worn on the wrist or ankle is a kūpeʻe.

Marcia Timboy, a member of the Hilo Lei Day Festival Board of Directors, show her *kūpeʻe* *lima* (bracelet) of fern, *liko*, and other foliage. Around her neck she wears a *lei pūpū*, a shell *lei ʻāʻī*.
*Photo by Leilehua Yuen*

An unidentified student wears a *kūpeʻe wāwae* (anklet) of *lau kukui* (kukui leaf).
*Photo by Leilehua Yuen*

A short garland or a floral arrangement worn in the hair or as a boutonnière is a wehi, wēwehi, or wehiwehi.

Recently we have been hearing that some people are claiming wēwehi are called “koko” or “coco” in Hawaiian. This is not true. “Koko” means “blood” in Hawaiian. “Kōkō” is a carrying net. “Kokō” is to crow or cackle. “Coco” is not a Hawaiian word.

There are many ways to craft a lei or a wēwehi. The two main ways of creating a lei are to kui lei (to sew or string a lei), and to haku lei (to braid, weave, or compile/fabricate a lei). This can be confusing because haku has several definitions, and is both a noun and a verb.

You can learn more about lei at LeiDay.org

by Leilehua Yuen

Making kaʻ ā (thread) and kaula (rope) is an important cultural art that gets little recognition these days. In times past, the art of the kaula was functional, metaphorical, and bound together many aspects of Hawaiian culture.

Myra English, Sonny Chillngworth and Billy Hew Len – Mele title/s are .”Kaula ʻ Ili” also known as “Puʻ uhluhulu” or “Kanaka Leo Nui” mahalo to Maria Hickling for the mele title/s and history – from Kokua Films Hawaii.

I originally learned to make kaula from dry lāʻ i, dry leaves of Cordyline fruticosa. It was a handy way to make a temporary rope from an easily-available material. In my childhood, tī was found growing in almost every garden, and the long leaves fell daily and needed to be cleaned up, so they were always handy to make rope from when needed.

Years later, I was working at Puʻ uhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park as a cultural demonstrator. Rose Fujimori took me in hand and taught me about traditional Hawaiian cordage.

There are many materials which can be used for making kaula and kaʻ ā. Among them are: lāʻ ī, olonā (touchardia latifolia), niu (Cocos nucifera), ule hala (Pandanus tectorius), ʻ ahuʻ awa (native Hawaiian Carex and Cyperaecea), and hau (Hibiscus tiliaceus). Each type of material has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Category: Arts and Crafts

Floral Adornments of Hawaiʻi

Kaula and Kaʻ ā – the ties that bind