Weight=175.2 pounds, Steps=4,461
Native Hawaiians were also into feather arts and crafts. In fact, the early Polynesians who populated these islands believed that birds had symbolic spiritual power and their feathers carried magical properties, such as enhance eyesight, endurance and speed. These qualities would add to the value of garments utilizing the local bird feathers. They were created specifically as status symbol for the village chiefs. When the early Polynesian settlers came to Hawai‘i, they brought with them the knowledge and craft of feather work. Widely recognized throughout the Pacific as masters of the craft, Hawaiians produced the most advanced feather work.
Back then, the majority of the feathers were harvested from the local bird population, such as the Hawaiian honeycreepers which was commonly found throughout the Islands. Collecting feathers was done by experienced feather gatherers called po’e hahai manu. It was an elaborate and time-consuming endeavor requiring months-long pursuits in forest habitats. The birds were captured with fiber nets and nooses. Breadfruit tree sap was glued to various tree limbs that the most desirable birds were known to frequent.
Today, artisans are continuing to practice Hawaiian-style feather craft. The feathers of the mamo, ‘i’iwi and ‘apapane honeycreepers have been replaced by more common species due to efforts to protect the birds. Goose feathers are dyed to resemble the colors of the original native birds, and gathering feathers is easily accomplished by purchasing them at a variety of online sites that specialize in selling feathers from every type of bird imaginable. The common goose feathers are dyed to resemble the popular red and yellow colors of the original native birds.
One of the most respected experts of feather work on the Big Island of Hawaii is Aunty Doreen Henderson, who founded the Lei Hulu Halau of Hilo (lei school). This halau has a genealogy that includes Aunty Mary Lou Kekuewa and Paulette Kahalepuna, better known as the “Feather Ladies of Kapahulu,” the main proponents of perpetuating this art in Hawaii.
My sister, Gyongyi (Momi) has been studying and practicing the ancient Hawaiian lei crafts for many years. To this day, she is active in the feather community and regularly takes classes on Wednesday mornings at the Kea’au Community Center, a few miles from her residence.
On my way over to Hilo on Hawaiian Airlines, I was surprised to find my sister Momi mentioned in an article in the January 2017 issue of airline magazine, Hana Hou. She spent four hundred hours making a yellow feather lei for Queen Kapi‘olani's dress reproduction that is on display at the museum in Honolulu (Iolani Palace).
If you are interested in the dress of 19th century Hawaiian queens and culture, here is a link to the article (Momi mentioned in paragraph 11).
http://www.hanahou.com/pages/magazine.asp?Action=DrawArticle&ArticleID=1621&MagazineID=97
Native Hawaiians were also into feather arts and crafts. In fact, the early Polynesians who populated these islands believed that birds had symbolic spiritual power and their feathers carried magical properties, such as enhance eyesight, endurance and speed. These qualities would add to the value of garments utilizing the local bird feathers. They were created specifically as status symbol for the village chiefs. When the early Polynesian settlers came to Hawai‘i, they brought with them the knowledge and craft of feather work. Widely recognized throughout the Pacific as masters of the craft, Hawaiians produced the most advanced feather work.
Back then, the majority of the feathers were harvested from the local bird population, such as the Hawaiian honeycreepers which was commonly found throughout the Islands. Collecting feathers was done by experienced feather gatherers called po’e hahai manu. It was an elaborate and time-consuming endeavor requiring months-long pursuits in forest habitats. The birds were captured with fiber nets and nooses. Breadfruit tree sap was glued to various tree limbs that the most desirable birds were known to frequent.
Today, artisans are continuing to practice Hawaiian-style feather craft. The feathers of the mamo, ‘i’iwi and ‘apapane honeycreepers have been replaced by more common species due to efforts to protect the birds. Goose feathers are dyed to resemble the colors of the original native birds, and gathering feathers is easily accomplished by purchasing them at a variety of online sites that specialize in selling feathers from every type of bird imaginable. The common goose feathers are dyed to resemble the popular red and yellow colors of the original native birds.
One of the most respected experts of feather work on the Big Island of Hawaii is Aunty Doreen Henderson, who founded the Lei Hulu Halau of Hilo (lei school). This halau has a genealogy that includes Aunty Mary Lou Kekuewa and Paulette Kahalepuna, better known as the “Feather Ladies of Kapahulu,” the main proponents of perpetuating this art in Hawaii.
My sister, Gyongyi (Momi) has been studying and practicing the ancient Hawaiian lei crafts for many years. To this day, she is active in the feather community and regularly takes classes on Wednesday mornings at the Kea’au Community Center, a few miles from her residence.
On my way over to Hilo on Hawaiian Airlines, I was surprised to find my sister Momi mentioned in an article in the January 2017 issue of airline magazine, Hana Hou. She spent four hundred hours making a yellow feather lei for Queen Kapi‘olani's dress reproduction that is on display at the museum in Honolulu (Iolani Palace).
If you are interested in the dress of 19th century Hawaiian queens and culture, here is a link to the article (Momi mentioned in paragraph 11).
http://www.hanahou.com/pages/magazine.asp?Action=DrawArticle&ArticleID=1621&MagazineID=97
RSS Feed