Mahalo for joining us for Lei Making at Urban Makahiki. Today, you made a Lei Hilo Lāʻī, a tī leaf lei made in the Hilo style of lei making. This "virtual handout" has more information on lei making as a reciprocal practice, and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi vocabulary. Please feel free to refer to this handout at anytime, and share it with your community.
Our "Why"
At PALAI, in addition to teaching how to make lei, our goal is to share the context of lei making as a reciprocal practice, from growing, to harvesting, all the way to giving. Our hope is that our workshop participants leave with a greater understanding of this cultural practice as a whole, as well as the skills and resources to continue its perpetuation beyond the workshop.
ʻAʻohe pau ka ʻike i ka hālau hoʻokahi
Not all knowledge is learned in one school
Ma ka hana ka ʻike
In working, one learns
Nā Huaʻōlelo Hawaiʻi
Hawaiian Language Vocabulary
LEI
A garland, wreath; necklace of flowers, leaves, shells, ivory, feathers, or paper, given as a symbol of affection; beads; any ornament worn around the head or about the neck.
Also: a beloved child, wife, husband, sweetheart, younger sibling or child, so called because a beloved child was carried on the shoulders, with its legs draped down on both sides of the bearer like a lei.
TĪ / KĪ
Cordyline fruticosa or Tī is a canoe plant, a plant brought by voyaging canoes with the first waves of Polynesian migration to the Hawaiian Islands. Tī are one of the most useful and versatile plants in Hawaiʻi. Some uses include lei making, lāʻau lapaʻau (traditional medicine), cooking, ceremony, hula skirts, jackets, etc. Tī are thought to ward of evil spirits and provide protection. Tī are often planted at all four corners of the house to provide protection to the home.
LEI LĀʻĪ / LEI LAU KĪ / LEI LAU TĪ
A lei made of Tī (Cordyline fruticosa) leaves. Lāʻī = a contraction of Lau (leaf) and Kī/Tī (Cordyline fruticosa). Lei Lāʻī are thought to provide protection, and are often involved in ceremony.
LEI ĀʻĪ
A lei worn on the shoulders.
HILO / LEI HILO
To twist, braid, spin; twisted, braided. A method of lei making. Lei Hilo = A lei made in the hilo method of lei making
Steps of Lei Making
The foundation of lei making begins with mālama ʻāina. Without healthy land, there are no flowers or foliage, and thus, no lei. This step reminds us of the critical importance of caring for ʻāina (land) and native plants, which are increasingly under threat. Traditional lei making practices are reciprocal, not extractive.
Gathering materials, or ʻohi, is the next step. Pono means correct, proper, righteous, goodness, morality, etc.. Traditional ʻohi pono practices, like asking permission before picking and taking only what is needed, ensure that plants can regrow with more abundance.
Haku is the act of creating the lei, weaving together flowers, plants, shells, materials and meaning. There are many unspoken rules in traditional lei making practices that go along with how to Haku a lei.
Once a lei is made, the entire process of making a lei is not finished. Traditionally, when making a lei you always make one for someone else first, then for yourself. The act of giving a lei can be a gesture of aloha, honor, respect, and more towards another person or entity.
Hoʻihoʻi refers to returning the lei to ʻāina once it has served its purpose, often by burying, burning, placing it in the ocean, or hanging on a tree. Lei are not to be thrown away.