So... I wanted to make at least one more hīnaʻi lauhala for donation at the Hawaiian Church of Hawaiʻi Nei workshop to make kaula and hīnaʻi lauhala to help with the re-interment of Iwi Kupuna. I hoped to get three done but ended up with two. The one pictured above was made with 1 inch koana 12x12 mauʻu. The other one, that I forgot to take a picture of, was 10x10 mauʻu. I delivered them to the workshop at Huliheʻe Palace today.
That's not the strange thing afoot though... I was recently surprised and "volun-told" for pāʻū committee involvement at the next Kona Kamehameha Celebration Floral Parade. I had always thought my next involvement with pāʻū riding would be poʻe hau (pooper scooper) for the other riders in our former unit. Or helping other units. This is different.
I'm hoping it won't cut too much into my weaving time. And weeding time. I decided to refrain from custom orders until I have a better idea of the time demands of this, as Agnes Terao-Guiala described, "new project."
If you can, please check out Agnes' recently released book Hawaiian Womens' Fashions: Kapa, Cotton, and Silk. I LOVED the gorgeous imagery and pictures of vintage muʻumuʻu, holomū, and holokū.
Update: After much consideration, I respectfully declined the honor of pāʻū committee chair. I already have a lot on my plate. I will help them wrap on parade day though. Celebrating our mōʻī, Hawaiʻian culture, and pāʻū pageantry is vital for our community. There are many hands, more knowledgeable and capable than mine, already active in that area. I feel my learning and kuleana lies more with lauhala and food security (ours and at Māʻona Community Garden). Upon learning that there's 300 iwi kupuna awaiting re-interment, I imagine more hīnaʻi lauhala are needed for them. I will still refrain from custom pāpale orders indefinitely as I was surprised how truly excited I became at the thought of focusing only on things I want to ulana. I used to enjoy being challenged by the order requests of others, but taking a break from that will allow me the time and energy to focus on preparing for the upcoming Ka Ulu Lauhala O Kona weaving conference and my other neglected projects.
Another Update (March 20): After even more consideration, I decided to stop volunteering at Māʻona Community Garden. Although they are doing exciting things with cardboard recycling and vermicast composting, I need to attend to my own "stuff." I also need to make pāpale kits for my future haumana. I wish them all at Māʻona Community Garden the best and much success.