WEAVE IT GOOD: Saturday (November 13), 9am-12pm or 1pm-4pm, Maui Nui Botanical Gardens, Kahului, $35
From hats and bags to bracelets and headbands, few Hawaiiana accessories are so subtly stunning as those made of lauhala. “Legend tells us that when Pele, the hot-tempered voclano goddess, first arrived on the Big Island, her canoe became entangled by the leaves and roots of the hala trees (Pandanus*) growing on the shore,” writes Adrian J. Bird in The Craft of Hawaiian Lauhala Weaving. “Pele was so angered by this rude greeting that she tore the trees into hundreds of pieces and threw them as far as she could. Wherever the pieces landed they grew into new trees. This, according to the story, is the reason for the widespread presence of hala in the islands.” Though the laborious selection and preparation of thorny hala leaves (let alone tedious weaving) is enough to ignite similarly flamed frustration, the fortunate participants of Maui Nui Botanical Gardens’s beginners lauhala weaving workshop will be under the tutelage of master weaver Pohaku Kaho’ohanohano — and so are sure to have success. Two separate sessions will be held this Saturday, with students creating beautiful woven ornaments perfect for the holidays. (Need a little inspiration? Native Intelligence on Market St. sells a collection of finely woven masterworks, and their current window display features runway worthy hats. Santa, you’ve been warned.) Visit the gardens’s website for the application form or call for more information. Sponsored by Hawai’i Tourism Authority, County of Maui Office of Economic Development and the Department of Water Supply. 808-249-2797; info@mnbg.org / mnbg.org
Want more lauhala weaving? Don’t miss the demonstrations at the Bailey House Museum’s upcoming “E Ho’olulu Aloha” (To Grow Love) Benefit. Read more HERE.
* “Pandanus is a genus of monocots with about 600 known species. Plants vary in size from small shrubs less than 1 metre (3.3 ft) tall, up to medium-sized trees 20 metres (66 ft) tall, typically with a broad canopy and moderate growth rate. The trunk is stout, wide-branching, and ringed with many leaf scars. They commonly have many thick prop roots near the base, which provide support as the tree grows top-heavy with leaves, fruit, and branches…” READ MORE HERE.
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