Blog — Lauhala weaving

The Hawaiian Church of Hawaiʻi Nei is putting on more workshops to help with the care of Iwi Kupuna. My cousin had sent me info for when they were doing workshops in Hilo back in September 2021. I wasn't able to go. Instead, I sent him one which he took to Maui. I probably won't be able to attend this one coming up at Huliheʻe Palace in March either, but will try to make at least one hīnaʻi lauhala for donation. While one won't be able to keep the finished product(s), this is still a great opportunity to learn the skills and enjoy...

I stopped by Kimura's Lauhala Shop the other day to pick up our coffee. Yes, I buy our coffee from a lauhala store. We drink 100% Kona Coffee. It may be considered premium coffee, but it tastes great "black" and we love supporting local agriculture. Also, the natural caffeine levels in fresher coffee makes it more cost effective and convenient, IMHO, as one doesn't have to drink as much to get the same wake up kick in the morning. Kimura's prices are very reasonable. The coffee doesn't travel far from farm to roaster to their store. I digress... Stopped by for...

These pictures were taken over the past weeks and during my visits at Māʻona Community Garden.   I almost always forget to take "before" pictures.  The picture (above left) is an "after" picture but one would never know we actually thinned the puhala. The above right picture is the underside and one can see the stubs of branches we cut from the trunk.  It had been so tightly packed with branches that very little ventilation was causing the leaves to rot before truly drying.  The picture below is some but not all of the green waste. With devastating invasive species such as...

Tahitian lauhala is really nice to work with.  The lau is long and pliable.  Unfortunately, the way they process it, makes it susceptible and attractive to bugs.  In Hawai'i, we generally harvest lau that is naturally dried on the tree.  The dried out "dead leaves" are not as attractive to bugs, but they will eat it if there's nothing else for them to feed on. I do not know the exact type or name of the bugs - they look like little beetles but I've also seen termites eat lauhala too. It's heartbreaking to find insect damaged lauhala as I...

These are just a tiny sample of what's out there in cyberspace.  I just happened upon and enjoyed them. Thought you might too. This one is of Michele Zane-Faridi of Hana Hou in Hilo with one of her haumana.  They show and talk about gathering lauhala.  Looking at the thorns and the bugs, it'll help one understand the time consuming preparation of lauhala. And how just any dried leaf will not do.  Cleaning and caring for the puhala is vital.  Visiting Michele and Shadi (her daughter) at Hana Hou has been inspirational during these COVID19 lock down times since the Ka...