The Spirit of Hawaii

In Hawaii, we have many diverse cultures, backgrounds, ways of thinking, and being. It seems that we, together, have been going through a state of transition from being focused on the physical—financially obtaining and surrounding ourselves with things, to reverting back to something our forefathers understood—saving and reusing; Helping ourselves as well as our environment.

My dad would reuse all kinds of items—old tires were made into sandals, coconut leaves woven into baskets or toys for kids. He even made kites from black plastic with tails of old sheets and large spindles made out of scrap wood for string that held the flying kite.

One of the oldest Hala tree groves on the Big Island is found on this North Kohala property for sale. Asking $9,650,000 (MLS# 229636) also offers a home named a “Record House” by Architectural Record in 2007, one of only 7 homes selected world wide.

In a way, I am taking from that. In the past year or so, I’ve taken up weaving lauhala (leaves of the pandanus). Hala means transition or death. Taking something that is dying and creating new life. My first adventure was a papale (hat). It was definitely reflective of my own painstaking transition.

My papale held all the sadness and remorse and victimization I had in me, and was ready to let go of in the past couple of years—you could call me the hemo queen (weave, take it off cause it was wrong, weave, take it off again and again and again). Finally, giving it up in a full moon ceremony just to end its misery, and mine!

This “X-bangle” is a sample of my work

Today, I weave just fine. Picking up new ideas and moving forward with them. No longer the hemo queen, I can now see my mistakes, make the necessary adjustments, and move on without the self-judgment and criticism I was really good at.

When I look at my life now, it is the same way. The way others I know are feeling as well. We’ve come full circle. We are all closer in spirit. We are kinder to each other. We have survived another grueling year and left it behind us. Nothing can change what we’ve been through and we are open to the future. Knowing we are strong, resilient, and can rely one another.

We are no longer an island unto ourselves.