This story is part of Hawai‘i, the Local Way. a package celebrating the food culture and traditions of the islands. Here, translator D. Kauwila Mahi details the rich history of leimaking.
For Kanaka Maoli, lei represent our foodways and ‘āina (land), intimately tying us to scents and sense of place. Due to industrial sugar cane and pineapple mono-cropping, and a historic lack of Indigenous agricultural autonomy, our once plentiful endemic plants are now under threat. Pockets of Hawai‘i food deserts are prevalent throughout the islands. Some native flora are extinct, enduring only in mele (chants and songs).
Thankfully, many lei, medicine, and hula practitioners are making strides to revitalize our native plant species, judiciously harvesting or replanting in public and private spaces, from the mountains to home gardens; leading classes with their knowledge; and incorporating lei-making into their daily lives.
There are countless iterations of lei and several specific to each of Hawai‘i’s islands. They do not resemble the orchid rings tourists often mistake for Hawaiian tradition, in the same way Waikīkī “lū‘au” performances and tiki culture do not capture a true sense of home. Instead, lei represent our delicate food genealogies and fragrant flora, as told in our oral histories:
Ni’ihau
This arid island is known for its lei hala, made from pandanus fruit and presented during periods of change or transition. Garlands are also created with the hala’s vibrant hīnano (heady-fragranced flowers) which often symbolizes enticement of a lover.
Kaua’i
The sweet, anise-scented flower and citrus of pua mokihana are strung together with the dark leaves of laua‘e, a woodsy fern native to Makana (a mountain on the northern shore). Due to the flower’s growing rarity, pa‘akai, Hawaiian salt from Hanapēpē and Waimea, is gifted in lieu of lei.
O’ahu
It takes hundreds of ‘ilima, a yellow mallow, to create one lei. The island’s official flower is traditionally consumed to ease childbirth pain. The highly prized limu līpoa ‘o Kalehuawehe is a diaphanous seaweed also offered as lei or food to chiefs. To this day, it wafts abundantly along Waikīkī’s shorelines—a perfect encapsulation of sovereign Kanaka foodways, defiant to erasure.
Maui
Lehua (vibrant, spiny ‘ōhi‘a tree blossoms), kou (wood carved into cups, dishes, and calabashes), niu (coconut), and ‘ulu (breadfruit) perfume Maui. Modern lei motifs include lehua along with ‘iliahi (sandalwood) and lokelani (damask rose).
Moloka’i
Tiny white flowers, hearty leaves, and round polished nuts of the kukui, or candlenut, are often associated with this island’s lei. Kukui nuts bear an almondlike taste and were once used as fish bait. They are the main component of a savory ground relish called ‘inamona.
Lāna’i
Mele describe lei made here with the string-like, yellow kauna‘oa (native dodder) or varieties of limu—an integral part of the traditional diet centuries ago, sometimes ingested ceremonially for cleansing. Now limu is integrated into modern dishes such as stews and poke or in cocktails like martinis.
Kaho’olawe
Limu also appears in lei from the smallest of the islands, along with hinahina, a native heliotrope, which can be brewed into a cleansing tea.
Island of Hawai’i
In one of most known mo‘olelo (stories), the volcanic goddess Pele meets her lover wearing lei of lehua, ‘ōlapa (carrot-scented tree leaves), maile (a native vining shrub), and ‘awapuhi (wild ginger), endemic to the uplands. Mashed lehua leaves and buds once treated ailments, while the blossoms emit a soft fragrance and are known to ensnare rain along mountain tops.
