Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 7, Number 6, 1 June 1990 — Hawaii's culture flowers on Lei Day [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hawaii's culture flowers on Lei Day

By Deborah Lee Ward Editor, Ka Wai Ola O OHA Anything the mind ean conceive of has been used to fashion a lei, sometimes with startling results. But surely among the most beautiful are the lei that transforms the flowers and leaves of Hawai'i into scented, colorful, and charming example of the lei-maker's art. This year's Lei Day contest at Kapi'olani Park, sponsored by the City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation, Hawaiiana section, was onee again an enthusiastic tribute to the endurance of Hawaiian culture. Eaeh lei entered in the competition began as an inspiration, took form in its creator's hands then was judgod and shared with hundreds of appreciative viewers. In memory of Hawaii's ali'i, the leis were then presented the next day in a ceremony at the royal tombs of Mauna 'Ala. Residents and visitors lined up in the Ho'olaulea tent to see Hawaiian crafts demonstrationsbycity senior citizens. Their beautiful handiwork included feather toys, kapa kuiki (Hawaiian quilts and pillows), lauhaia fans, baskets, lau niu (eoeonut leaf) toys, Hawaiian herbs, and yarn crafts. But the star of the show here too was the lei — fresh lei and permanent lei of all types of natural and manmade materials. There were the perennial favorites — hinahina, ilima, kaunaoa, hala, and the la'i (ti leaf) either twisted, sewn or folded. There were fine lei hulu, N 'ihau shell lei, and seed lei too. Perhaps some kupuna had Earth Day in mind with their creative lei made of recycled materials — plastic bottle caps, cigarette cartons, rolled paper beads, ironwood pine cones and even shelf paper!

Resplendent in her elegant red mu'umu'u with ilima applique was the 1990 Lei Queen Mae Loebenstein, who was beautifully draped with long strands of ilima and puakenikeni. On her head she wore a crown of ilima, bird of paradise, helieonia and ferns. Her lei court, dressed in the representative colores of the Hawaiian islands, eaeh made her own lei. Lining up patiently under the sunny, breezy sky, hundreds waited their ehanee to slowly move past the lei contest entries, eaeh one already a winner for its unique beauty.

Some leis were made of unusual materials: yellow raphis palm flower with pampi leaf, moss or liehen, and the shrimp plant flower. One lei was made of eom kernels, another of plum-sized round gourd fruit. Others used the green stem tip of the puakenikeni strung together to resemble the mokihana berry. Torch ginger in red and pink were strung to resemble a feather lei, ka moe style. There was a crown flower lei strung in rounded, poepoe fashion, to show off the flower petals. Traditional materials also abounded: pa'iniu, palapala'i, wawae'iole, laua'e and liko lehua and more. Introduced flowers and greens were also popular: bird of paradise, helieonia, popeom orchid, red ginger and red ti, Spanish moss. First prize awards were presented for: *Most typically Hawaiian lei — Bill Char (a'ali'i, lehua, maile, palapalai and pukiawe) *Hat lei — Brian Choy (cymbidium, dusty miller, lehua, rose, lilikoi, flax, pikake and more) *Mixed lei — Brian Choy (a'ali'i, hedotis, etc.) Blue-violet lei — Bill Char (agapanthus, ageratum, hydrangea, palapalai) *Green lei — Brian Choy *White lei — Brian Choy *Yellow/orange lei — Charlene Choy *Red/pink lei — Velma Omura *Mayor's Grand Prize — Moki Labra. A dancer at Waimea Falls Park, Labra, made his first lei at age 12 for his horse when he was a banner boy for the Paniolo O Pupukea pa'u horse unit. His Lei Day contest lei with ohai ali'i in wili poepoe style took him 45 minutes to make. He said 'ohai is easy to work with becaui e of its long stem. Labra also won second prize in the most typically Hawaiian lei category.

Lei Oueen Mae Lobenstein and her court visit the Ho'olaulea tent on Lei Day.