Archive for the ‘Kilohana’ Category

National Endowment for the Arts award for Aunty Gladys Kukana Grace

Sunday, July 18th, 2010

The National Endowment for the Arts has recognized Aunty Gladys Kukana Grace for her lau hala weaving and her contributions to continuing the art.  The news of her award was announced in the Honolulu’s Star-Advertiser on June 25th and those of us who know Aunty Gladys are very proud of her.  This author does not know how many people she has shared her knowledge with but surely those hundreds (to be modest), including my mother are very grateful of her unconditional gift that she generously shares with everyone she meets.  See the link below to the NEA national heritage fellowship awardees.

http://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage.

Aunty Gladys teaches using all the Hawaiian terms so simply getting started asks the student to learn the appropriate vocabulary. She keeps in her head a wealth of information for anoni hats, the patterned hats that create dual colored patterns of lau hala-( pandanus leaves)  into motifs of  nene (goose),

an anoni papale lauhala with the ulu (breadfruit) pattern

ulu (breadfruit), maka pueo (owl eyes), makani huila (windmill), and nihoniho (toothed) – to name a few.

To see some of these hats has to make one wonder, how so beautiful a thing could be made.   It is because of what Aunty keeps in her memory banks, that she generously shares with others, that we all get to see what we could easily call designer hats.

She founded Ulana me ka lokomaika’i, a hui (group) that gathers to weave and share fellowship, laughter, and, of course; food.  This lauhala weavers guild share their skills that were passed from its co- founders, Aunty Gladys Grace  and Uncle Frank Masagatani.  They have fostered annual workshops and exhibits throughout the state of Hawaii and even shared their expertise on the lawn of the Smithsonian’s Museum of the Native American Indian in Washington D.C.

Aunty Gladys is a regular kumu (teacher) at Kalaekilohana Bed and Breakfast  along with Lehua Domingo, Margaret Lovett, and Suzi Swartman quarterly.  These are opportunities to work with Aunty on a one-on-one basis.

an anoni papale lauhala with a nihoniho (shark-toothed) edge

Congratulations Aunty Gladys on your award from the NEA.

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Punalu’u Bake Shop

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Kona Winds bring beautiful clear vistas to Hawai’i Island as it blows from the south.    While the trades keeps vog away from Hilo, the Kona winds, act in the reverse – they clear the air on the Kona side of the island and sends the vog towards Hilo.

I awoke this morning to still another Kona weather day.  It was brilliantly clear, and the tradewinds were nowhere to be felt.  You could see for miles with not a cloud in the sky.  After an appointment with Dr. Frederick Kennedy, a chiropractor;  to loosen up some tightness in my neck and spine;  as I sat to tie my shoelaces, the  scent of the Punalu’u Bake Shop wafted from across the street.   “Well, doesn’t that smell good!  And so,  I succumbed, decided it was a day for myself and that I should go across the street and pull into the banyan tree-shaded parking lot and go right in and get a glazed liliko’i malasada.  For some, it is chocolate, and for others, it is ice cream.  Bakeries fall into the same category.

So I bought four. I know  one would be insufficient and three a little too indulgent.  Two for me, and two for my partner.  Great choice, fresh, sweet with that tartness from the passion fruit so difficult to resist.

As I started to leave Dr. Kennedy’s office, which fronts Na’alehu town,  I thought how nice it was to live in a small a town as Na’alehu, where the speed limit is 25mph and business as usual moves at it’s own rhythm – albeit a relaxed one.  But better yet, how nice to have a bakery to tempt you with such delightful taste sensations.

The Punalu’u Bake Shop is open every day from 9-5 pm except New Year’s and Christmas.  866-366-3501 or 808-929-7343 Located on Rte 11 in Na’alehu.

Malasadas from the Punalu'u Bake Shop (Taro, liliko'i, and guava)

Malasadas from the Punalu'u Bake Shop (Taro, liliko'i, and guava)

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Kapa Workshop – After the Weekend

Friday, August 28th, 2009
Absolutely beautiful!  Awesome!  For a couple of days, the odor of fermenting wauke (paper mulberry) and the tap tapping of hohoa (tapa beaters) combined with the sound of a Dremel carving into bamboo to make  ‘ohe kapala (bamboo stamps) filled Kalaekilohana.  About a dozen people came to spend the weekend with Joni-Mae Makuakane-Jarrell and Micah Kamohoali’i to make kapa (barkcloth).
They worked diligently for three days to make their own piece of kapa from scraping the bark, to stripping the fiber off the wauke, and then soaking, and beating repeatedly to make fine pieces of  cloth.  Most haumana (students) made their own tools and came with a kua, hohoa, and i’e kuku (anvil, primary beater, and finish beater).
Watching the process, it was amzing to watch as the basts of fiber began to breakdown and little by little,  felt together and finely spread longer and wider.  Sometimes, a troublesome spot would need a little extra care as multiple layers would meld as their loving creator would nudge and tap the fiber to a consistent even beautiful piece of kapa.
As they neared something they were happy with, they used their i’e kuku to leave a watermark signature  on their kapa.  After allowing their kapa to dry in the sun, the addition of color using dyes from native plants mixed with a little pa’akai (salt) and alae (clay) from a variety of sources, each chose dye colors they liked and colored their piece.  Some got warm lavendar from ‘olapa, others a subtle green from the endemic ma’o hau hele, and some even tried some of the beet juice from the mornings’ breakfast for a rosy red.

Making kapa using an i'e kuku and a kua

Making kapa using an i'e kuku and a kua

An i'e kuku (left) and a hohoa (right)

An i'e kuku (left) and a hohoa (right)

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‘Ike Hana No’eau at Hawai’i Volcanoes

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park again presents  their ‘Ike Hana No’eau series at the Visitor’s Center beginning in May 2009 through July 2009.   The ‘Ike Hana No’eau program brings in cultural practitioners to share their art, skills, dance, and knowledge to visitors.  Kalaekilohana have previously participated in this Wednesday program and are excited to have been invited back.   Kilohana and Lehua Domingo will demonstrate lei hulu (feather lei) and papale lauhala (lauhala hats) on June 3rd from 10-12 noon.  Lehua’s anoni papale are individual works of art and Kilohana’s feather lei are labors of patience and beauty.

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Aloha from Kalaekilohana

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

Aloha from Ka Lae, Hawai’i islands’ southernmost end of the Hawaiian Island chain.  Welcome to our blog!   As an award winning bed and breakfast, we hope to share with you  mana’o about what we do and what is going on at Kalaekilohana and in our district of Ka’u on Hawai’i's big island.

We are proud to be a bed and breakfast on the leading edge of culturally appropriate tourism.   Here guests are able to lounge on our day bed on the lanai with a good book, or they may participate in a lei haku (lei making) class that encompasses protocol, plant knowledge, creativity, and pride. We are glad to be off the beaten path, where country living provides fresh local food, a simpler living style, and starry nights.

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