You are Halulu, the bird that calls above the houses
You stand on the perch of that bird's outstretched wings
The Kiwa'a is calling, the prophetic bird of the upper spaces
He kino manu, he inoa manu, no ka lani - ko inoa e
A bird body, a bird name, from the sky, for the chief.
Your Name!
-Kekuapo`i`ulaokalani

When I first arrived in Honolulu, the first thing my boyfriend gave me was a beautiful flower lei. Soon I found that in Hawai'i, people, locals and tourists, wear flower leis everywhere. However, I learned that not many people buy and wear leis themselves, because a lei is a sign of honor and those who are given one to wear are somewhat important. I wanted to learn more about lei making, its significance and origin. I discovered there is another kind of lei which is more interesting to me, the feather lei.

My search took me to a feather lei shop on Kapahulu Avenue called Na Lima Mili Hulu No'eau (Skilled Hand Touched the Feathers) of Aunty Mary Louise Kaleonahenahe (Peck) Kekuawa and her daughter, Paulette Nohelani (Kekuawa) Kahalepuna. Aunty Mary Lou is one of the masters of the art of feather work and she has more than forty years of experience in feather work. She learned feather work from her teacher, Leilani 0. Fernandez, who was her important inspiration. Aunty Mary Lou and Paulette have continually represented the State of Hawai'i at many international exhibitions and traveled to various places to demonstrate feather work, both in the United States and in other countries.

The Hawaiian people inherited the feather work knowledge from their Polynesian ancestors. Therefore, we can find feather work in other Pacific Islands. For example, the Maori people in New Zealand had feather capes, the MarqLiesans had feather headdresses, and the Tahitians and Samoans had feather ornaments. However, Hawaiian feather work is considered the most intricate and highly developed in technique of all Pacific Islanders. Since there were no gems nor gold or silver in the Pacific Islands, feathers served as precious material for people of high rank. The Hawaiian feather work was restricted only to royal family, high chiefs and gods. Common people did not have the rights to wear feathers. Examples of feather work include feather cloak, helmet, girdle which were used only by the male chiefs and feather lei, worn on neck or head of the queen and princess.

The colors normally used in royal feather work are red, yellow and black. Red represents blood shed in the past; yellow, golden future; and black, dark past. However, we can also find green feathers, which represent lush, verdant valleys in some cloaks. Throughout Polynesia, red was the most prized color and was reserved for high male chiefs and the gods. In Hawai'i, yellow eventually superseded red as the most prized color because fewer yellow feathers were available. The most famous feather cloak is the golden cloak of King Kamehameha 1, made from some 450,000 of the rarest feathers of the manio. It represents, by one calculation, more than 80,000 birds, since each bird yielded only six or seven suitable golden yellow feathers. Besides being symbols of sovereignty, feather girdles also carried a ritual significance and power over other humans.

Later, the role of feather work began to change. During the 18th century, the art gradually lost its association with traditional chiefly usage, and the few pieces that were not traded or given to visitors became items of display at the royal court. Some cloaks were used as palls at funerals of state after the owner passed away.

Feather leis can be divided into two types: traditional lei (wili poepoe) and contemporary lei (humu papa). The traditional lei are round, using the techniques of tying feathers around a central cord. They are worn around the neck or head or worn as hatbands. The first cuts, second cuts, and third cuts of the feather and the technique of placing the feathers make traditional leis different from the contemporary.

Contemporary leis are flat and are worn as hatbands. Those are sewn on a felt base. It is believed that the Hawaiian people first started sewing feathers on a base to make lei soon after the introduction of metal needles, brought by the missionaries who arrived in Hawai'i in 1820. The first cut contemporary lei is called humu papa. The second and third cuts are known as lei koena 'elua and lei koena 'elolu. Other kinds of contemporary leis are called according to the feather used. For example, lei pikake is made from peacock feather and lei kolohala from pheasant feathers.

Feather lei making was prohibited because it caused the extinction of rare birds. Later, feather lei making became popular again after dyed goose feathers were introduced to replace the rare natural bird feathers. Every new student must start with dyed goose feathers since they are less expensive.

Paulette brought me the supplies needed to make the feather lei: ribbon 18 inches long of the same shade of the feather, four strands of four-ply yarn about 35 inches long serving as central cord, a sewing needle, thread of the same color, ribbon, and two containers to store the feathers.

She recommended that I rinse and dry the feathers for best use and then snip the quill of the feather to its desired length. To give the feather its curve, the feather needs to be crimped by placing the feather between the thumb and pointer finger and pressing the quill against the thumbnail. I was then told to trim the undesirable parts by cutting both sides of the feathers to make them thinner and easier to tie.

In ancient times, the Hawaiian people used the banana fiber or the bark of the olona shrub. They also had to use the whole feather since they did not have scissors to cut the feather to the desired length.

Like all other traditional feather lei, the ribbon is sewn into the knotted yarn. The yarn knot is placed on the folded end ribbon and the ribbon is wrapped over the knot and stitched through the knot. Then the other side of the ribbon is folded over the first stitch and sewn again. This way, the knot cannot be seen.

The feather is tied onto the central cord. There are two positions used in lei maunaloa. Position one is used on the left and right sides of the lei. The front convex part of the feather is attached to the central cord. Position two is used on the front and back side of the lei. The back concave part of the feather is attached to the central cord. The positions are repeated until the feathers overlap with one another.

While it took me three hours to make a 2-inch lei, it took Paulette about twelve hours to complete a feather lei. Feather lei making takes a lot of patience, skill and a loving heart. No one can make a feather lei without patience and diligence. Each winding is not just an art but also a spiritual meditation. I admire the Hawaiian people who show their love to their king and the royal family by this graceful art. Not only can I admire the beauty of my own feather lei, but I feel privileged to learn one of the most precious arts in the world.

References

Return To Publications Index