Once again Kaneohe Yacht Club welcomed sailboats that made the sea journey from San Francisco in the Pacific Cup race that occurs in even-numbered years. In the last week of July, a land crew crafted lei garlands to present to the yachts when they arrived.
My friend Georgia Schmidt organized the effort of rounding up fresh plant material from gardens and the people to make the lei, each six feet long.
Here are some photos made by lei maker Lisa Leydon and me.
The basis of the lei is made of ti leaves, seen here stripped from the growing stalk, bundled and with stems trimmed off.Song of Singapore leaves are popular paired with red ti. The plant material is fastened to a base of twine with 24 gauge paddle wire from the florist supply store. The style of lei making is “wili.”Georgia models the long lei she made with ti and Song of India leaves.Lisa at workJoann is delighted with her creation.Gwen made a ti leaf rose while Steve, below, helped out.Azure, from Alameda, is decorated with several lei.Here is Lucky Duck shortly after her welcome at Kaneohe.Saga, of San Diego, and her island welcome.
Many, many thanks to everyone who helped with this volunteer project. Aloha nō!
Imagining a pretty border of reddish flowers in front of the old panax hedge in the garden, I went shopping to see what I could find. The plants I was attracted to required full sun that they wouldn’t get. Native plants would be iffy, requiring special care. The more we thought about it, my hubby and I decided to plant what we already had—red ti leaves.
Hawaiians generally prefer green leaves to the red ones because red represented “newcomer”, unlike “native”, I’m told.
But two women come every year for the red ones, and I am happy to donate.
Gwen comes only for the lāʻī, the leaves that she cleans thoroughly before they are fumigated at the State Dept. of Agriculture prior to the flight to Houston, Texas. She fashions lei for the horses in the Paniolo Parade there.
Kapua likes to cut whole stalks to decorate the stage at ʻIolani Palace for ʻOnipaʻa, an observance on January 17, the date Queen Liliʻuokalani was overthrown. How lucky that ti plants regrow their leaves readily after the stalk is cut.
So, that is what we will plant in front of the panax. Red ti!
Here is a photo by Gwendolyn Takeuchi of her lei with horse and rider representing Kauaʻi Island in the parade. Can you spot the red ti?
Fern White’s horse wears lei with red ti leaves. Feb. 2024. Houston, Texas. Lei by Gwendolyn Takeguchi.
January 17, 2022, marks 129 years since the illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy. Following a scheduled Peace March in Honolulu that will end at Queen Liliʻuokalani’s statue, there will be a program of music and speeches throughout the afternoon on the grounds of Iolani Palace.
For Ka Lāhui Hawai’i Kōmike Kalai’āina Chair, Leiānuenue Niheu, “ʻOnipaʻa” is a unified call to the people of the sovereign Hawaiian nation to come together as one force, one will, and one people to resist the settler colonial establishment that governs our islands.”
The Onipa’a Peach March and Gathering annual event helps ensure that the great wrong that was done to Queen Lili’uokalani and the native people of Hawai’i by a small group of American businessmen on January 17, 1893 with the support of US Marines will never be forgotten, she said.
My good friends, the ones you can always count on for help, came to my studio today to make very large lei garlands to decorate Keliiponi Hale, the palace pavilion, for the big day. There, kamaʻāina and visitors alike may view a special memorial to native Hawaiian scholar, teacher, and activist Dr. Haunani-Kay Trask who passed over on July 3, 2021.
My friends Joe, Girly, Tom, Nancy, Gwen, and I gathered on the back deck to fashion seven lei, each 10 feet long. We had picked the plant material early in the morning—mostly sturdy green ti leaves.
Joe went to the pavilion yesterday and photographed it so we could have a better idea of the venue to be decorated.
Clockwise from upper left: Joe, Girly, Gwen, Rebekah, Tom, and Nancy beside the lei garland
Joe
Gwen
Girly
Nancy and Tom
I am so very thankful for my friends. As Joe says, an activity like this is better and more fun with a group.
The kou tree in the front garden is blooming and dropping delicate orange-colored blossoms. When strung into a flower lei they look like ilima.
The Hawaiian-English dictionary has this description:
“ 1. n. A tree found on shores from East Africa to Polynesia (Cordia subcordata), with large, ovate leaves, and orange, tubular flowers 2.5 to 5 cm in diameter, borne in short-stemmed clusters. The beautiful wood, soft but lasting, was valuable to the early Hawaiians and was used for cups, dishes, and calabashes. (Neal 714–5.) (PPN tou.)”
I keep the lei cool in the open air between wet newspaper, avoiding the refrigerator, and re-dampen the newspaper as needed.
Beautiful.
After wearing, you may save the lei. As it dries to a rusty orange, snug up the flowers together along the craft ribbon to wear again!
HONOLULU—Every May 1st floral designers make lei for the Hawaiian Lei Contest sponsored by the City at Kapiolani Park. A horticulturist identifies the plant elements in the lei upon entry, and then organizers line up the creations near the parking lot between the park Bandstand and the Waikiki Shell.
The display opens to the public to view with the untying of a ti leaf lei around 12:30 p.m. after the Royal May Day Court sees it first.
Today I was first in line along with Evelyn who I just met. We are both lei makers, too. Although we did not enter anything, we came for ideas! Check out my images. You can practically smell the flowers, can’t you? The lei in the last photo in the series took the Mayor’s Grand Prize.
Mayor’s Grand Prize is awarded to Melvin T. Labra for his wili style lei of ‘ohai ali‘i, palapalai, and kukunaokala.
In my world, much of what I do is creative. Creating interesting and beautiful things brings me satisfaction, a sense of accomplishment, joy. I don’t initially do it for money although, come to think of it, most of my income has come from making fine art and from designing and writing publications and lesson plans. I’ve yet to turn a buck composing or singing or cooking!
Last night a volunteer appreciation party at Kaneohe Yacht Club for Pacific Cup race workers reminded me of other benefits of creating and of involving others in the process. Those benefits are respite and therapy. I led a crew of 25 in making lei garlands for the arriving boats from San Francisco.
When I arrived late to the party (bad highway traffic), I learned it was announced the free drinks were courtesy of the monetary donation I made from partial proceeds of the lei that happens to be a product we sell. Well, that is not exactly the kind of therapy I was thinking of ;-), but we did make money, and it gave me satisfaction to spend a morning writing checks to the lei makers and two organizations that collaborated for the activity. We made lei!
During Pacific Cup time I’ve noticed, or sometimes the lei makers tell me, some come to make a lei or two or three in order to take a break from a difficult situation at home.
A family member was in the hospital, or a spouse was ill, or they got childcare so they were free to come. They made the time or they took the time to come and do something they loved to do and be among other people. That they would tell me this touched my heart, and I am so very glad and grateful I could provide the creative outlet.
Creating interesting and beautiful things also brings freedom and peace. Namaste. ~ Rebekah
Good morning, studio fans! Until today we’ve been hanging out at Kaneohe Yacht Club where I and my team have been crafting lei for some of the arriving boats in the Pacific Cup Yacht Race from San Francisco.
I say “until today” because the thunder-lightning-rain storm that is ripping the Islands has closed roads, etc., and we are taking a rest this morning, enjoying the waterfalls, retrieving wet pets from outdoors, and surveying the flooding and mudslides. We can hardly imagine what it must have been for the small-boat racers at sea last night. What a light show!
Here’s Jennifer, Kaneohe Yacht Club member, thrilled with her first boat lei. She and Nancy, pictured below, discovered they went to the same high school in Minnesota. Now they meet on Oahu!
We are making 40 lei, wili style, each 12-feet long and uniquely beautiful. All the plant materials are gathered and donated voluntarily. Our lei makers range from first-timers to professionals. Our team is composed of folks from Kaneohe Yacht Club, Ko‘olauloa Hawaiian Civic Club that receives scholarship funds from the lei sales, and my friends. It is a fun, social activity that we do every even-numbered year.
Kamakea of Ko‘olauloa Hawaiian Civic Club is from a family of professional lei makers who go way back. Her father Gus Kalili made and sold lei out of his woody along Lagoon Drive on the way to the old Honolulu International Airport back when.
Kathleen Sattler, my glee club sister, welcomes the break from her otherwise stressful schedule this week.
Thanks to all the volunteers on all of the Pacific Cup committees.
Carol, experienced in making lei for hats, crafts her first giant one for a boat.
Friends Nancy and Pat enjoy helping with lei construction.
This Rebekah’s Studio is the blog created by the Rebekah who lives in the small village of Kaaawa on the island of Oahu. A journalist, artist, and healer by training, I invite you on any part of my journey shared here. I use a full palette, so come along, let’s see what unfolds together!
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