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"Eia Ni'ihau O Kahelelani..."
Ni'ihau nutures the last community of pure blooded Hawaiians. Ni'ihau families represent the last breed of indigenous speakers of the Hawaiian language. They live in a rare dryland ecosystem that harnesses the spirit of a great people, steeped in their tradition, heritage, and legacy.
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This web site is a labor of love for a group of five special individuals. We've had the privilege of visiting Ni'ihau, and have learned the craft of Lei Pupu O Ni'ihau from members of it's community. With many days of eye strain, poked fingers, and remembering to only think good thoughts while making a lei, we are blessed to be able to work with some of the families of Ni'ihau. "Nana i ke kumu".. "Look to the source". In our case, our kumu is Ilei Beniamina, a Ni'ihau 3rd generation lei maker, who in turn has shared her island with us. She serves as our cultural expert, our baseline on protocol, and what is "pono". She is our source of inspiration.
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| Ileialoha Beniamina | ||
| Kekoa Billena | ||
| Kahanukakela Schmitz | ||
| Mahealani Harris | ||
| Nohealani Martin |
We send our mahalos to our Ni'ihau ohana for their nuturing and support in bringing this web site to you. Without their kokua and Ni'ihau Aloha, we could not have accomplished what we have. We hope they are as proud of our efforts as we are thankful to them for their sharing their lives and aloha with us.
In this world it is a rare thing to be gifted with individuals who care
for keeping the culture alive and "pono", and we all have grown
by having met and worked with them. We all hope this is the beginning
of a long and interesting relationship.