Nate’s Adventures: Special lei poʻo for David Henkin
by Nate Yuen | Reading time: 1.5 minutes
A special lei poʻo -- head lei -- was made for David Henkin, recipient of the William O. Douglas Award for outstanding legal environmentalism. David has been a champion for endangered native plants and animals, Hawaiian kalo farmers and cultural practitioners, the land and the ocean. In order to honor him appropriately, a lei was made with material available to the Hawaiians prior to Western contact.
We were blessed that lei maker Ayesha Liquorish volunteered to make this special lei.
The lei is made primarily with pōhinahina -- Vitex rotundifolia -- gathered from Waiʻanae and Kahuku. The leaves were chosen for this lei because they emit a fragrant scent when crushed. The plant produces purple flowers and fruits.
Kaunaʻoa -- a species of doder -- Cuscuta sandwichiana -- was gathered from Mākua Beach where the yellow stringy vine grows as a parasite on other plants. The palapalai ferns -- Microlepia strigosa -- are from the lei-maker's backyard in Haleʻiwa.
The lei is made in the wili style using hau fibers from the inner bark (Hibiscus tiliaceus) to wrap and tie the material into a lei.
The fragrance of this lei pōhinahina is lovely to smell.
The lei is a lei po'o -- head lei -- made from material available to the Hawaiians prior to Western contact.
Closeup of lei material: pōhinahina, kaunaʻoa, palapalai and hau.
Mahalo to Ayesha Liquorish for making this beautiful lei for this special occasion. Check out her "Haku Lei Haleiwa" page here.