The Ni'ihau Lei, A Personal Account
"All my life I was surrounded by female artisans I would live to admire and forever be grateful to have been blessed with their presence.
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Grandmother was the matriarch of the art of Ni'ihau lei making." "She would gather the women and group them according to their specialty. There were those who excelled in the beautiful "Pikake" style of tying. There were those who had an eye for mixing colors, and others who were fast stringers or piercers. A knowledgeable person can look at a lei, and name the person who was responsible for it's craftsmanship. There were rules, categories, and classifications, each with
detailed descriptions and specifications. "I ka wa ma mua.." Grandmother would say.. "My gramothers' used bird bones to pierce, and sennit to string the shells." Originally, the favorite lei of royalty was the "kui pololei", one long lei. A complete "kui pololei" would be the length of the circumference of our "hale". This lei would be looped several times so as to layer it to be worn as one lei of several strands. You may have seen pictures of Queen Emma wearing a Ni'ihau lei. "Nana 'oe i ke ki'i o ka mo'i".. Look at the lei of the Queen - it is only one lei, but looks as if it has several strands. Such is the artistry of the Ni'ihau lei maker. |
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Jean Ku'uleialoha Kele Keale Ka Makuahine o Ilei Beniamina |
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Lili'uokalani's lei is made the same way, except hers went around our "lumi ho'okipa" four times.
I remember mama being asked by a previous governor's wife to come to the Governor's mansion to help repair Lili'u's Ni'ihau lei. Time had eroded the strings and it was in dire need of repair. It was an extremely beautiful white Momi lei with no spots on the shells. Every shell was the same size from beginning to end. They were much larger than you see today, and still shiny since the lei was rarely worn. The Ni'ihau people has given her lei pupu along with other priceless gifts on her tour of Ni'ihau in 1891. All 20 strands fell gracefully from Mama's neck to her knees after it was meticulously repaired.
The Ni'ihau lei has gone through generations of evolution. It has managed
to outlive other prized works of art such as the "ipu pawehe",
"Moena pawehe", Uala", "Ulu hua i ka hapapa",
export commodities of exchange or rare gifts for royalty or guests of
the islands in times of old.
The art of Ni'ihau Lei Pupu had been passed down in my family for generations. Here you see members of my family: on the far right Mama Healani, myself (Ilei), Tutu Kelley (my grandmother), and my Mama Jean. Look at the leis ! You can barely see the Wili lei in Mama Healani's lap.
Tutu Kane (Grandpa Kelley) was inventor of the Pikake style of Ni'ihau
lei. Along with Grandma, they are the creators of almost all Ni'ihau lei
styles you see today.
