Makahiki and My 'Ulana Workshop (my experience)

Makahiki

Since the renaissance in 1970, more and more traditions and practices are being renewed.

Makahiki, for example, is a tradition being brought back across islands. It means many things for different people. However, generally, It is a time for celebration, which is during the time of October to late December when a cluster of stars (Makaliʻi) gathers over the sunʻs horizon. It is usually recognized with games and food. Traditionally people do a ceremony with prayer and offerings for the god Lono. It was a way for people to clean/rid themselves of past troubles and start fresh. Makahiki was a time of peace and new beginnings. Our kūpuna over the year before makahiki would prepare food and store it; like salted fish, pounded paʻi ʻai, and other staples like sweet potatoes and breadfruit which was either baked or dried. The people gathered different resources from their ahupuaʻa to make hoʻokupu for the god Lono during the time of Makahiki. The hoʻokupu was then placed on an ahu at the boundary of an ahupuaʻa. Lonos spirit, otherwise known as his Lono Makua, would stop at each ahupuaʻa and receive gifts from the people. He often came in a wooden form and was accompanied by aliʻi. Once Lono decided on whether the gifts were appropriate he would lift the kapu from the land and the festivities of Makahiki would begin. When Lono completed his journey around the island he would return to the temple of the high chief (Luakini). Aliʻi would then cleanse themselves in the ocean and the kāliʻi ritual would take place. This ritual “was to symbolically demonstrate the skill and cleverness of the chief and his men for the aliʻi nui”. It needed to be proven that they were a deserving ruler. After a sham battle, the ruling chief would make his way to Luakini, pray, and offer a sacrificial pig. Nowadays makahiki is mainly a time for people to give thanks and come together; sometimes celebrated with food drives, charity events, and donations, managed by churches, schools, and other organizations.

My Makahiki (2019)

In preparation for Makahiki (a time of celebration and peace in Hawaii), my friend and I had collected 100-200 leaves of Hala. This was for a workshop we were doing with middle and high schoolers. It took us 2 months to prepare for everything as we researched about 'ulana, and collected, cleaned, and stripped the leaves. Throughout this process it made me realize just how much work and effort goes into weaving. It became a time of reflection for me as I began to think of my ancestors, culture, and life. It is nearly impossible for me to fathom a time when it was normal for people to go out, gather their materials, and make it into things. Likewise, it was also hard for me to imagine just how many patterns and designs our ancestors learned that was incorporated into their crafts. Itʻs such a contrast compared to this day and age; our world is a "throw-away society". We are a society that is strongly influenced by consumerism. Itʻs so easy to replace something, that we lose sight in the value of things and the effort that goes into making and maintaining them. In the age of the quick purchase, the impulse to weave seems almost perverse. After all, you can walk into a Walmart with $10 in hand, and walk out five minutes later with a serviceable mat. When that mat is no longer functional, you can just buy another one, and so the cycle begins all over again.

With this mindset, we tend to lose cultural information that has been passed down through generations of people.

Workshop

In this workshop, I tried to encompass the ancient art of weaving all while working to bridge the traditional knowledge found in ʻulana with modern-day items. We wanted our workshop to be relatable towards our audience of high and middle school students, so my partner and I took the nihoniho pattern found in 'ulana and used it to teach the student how to make headbands (a more modern-day accessory). I found that my passion for 'ulana helped while I taught others. In the process of weaving, you are taught the intricacies of their resources, the material itself, and the setting and mindset in which they must weave/work. These little things, when it all comes together, affect the finished product. You learn to be patient, calm, and detailed as you work. These skills help while communicating and practicing with the students and kumu as they got confused or frustrated. Still being a student myself, I find It difficult to learn when my teacher starts acting frantic or mad. It makes me nervous and distracts me from doing a good job at work. Learning from this, It was important that I maintained composure and was encouraging when the student messed up because this gives them a sense of reassurance to continue their work. Everyone messes up and it can get confusing at times but that doesn't mean you can't do it or you should stop. Here you see a few students and teachers making headbands. We had set up a few chairs and benches with a couple of tables for our workshop. We then provided strips of lauhala and pans of water so it would be easier and more pliable to work with for the students.

Seeing everyone come together in joy and excitement to learn how to weave, and connecting through their shared culture, was something else! Everyone was helping one another, laughing, talking story and doing their best to 'ulana.

Although still learning myself, I hope that as the people who left that day from our workshop, had something to take back or say about what they learned. Whether it was the headband they made, the feel of the wet hala strips (koana) in their hands, that feeling of frustration when they got stuck, or the color of the water that turned yellow, they had learned and experienced a small piece of history, their culture, and something that connects them to their ancestors.

This is us completing our workshop and the written comment we got from people.

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It has been now been nearly 11 months since I've learned to weave and I am grateful for this knowledge as it has helped me to connect and have a deeper relationship with my ancestors and culture. Although I do not have a kumu 'ulana, I thank the various resources, pictures, and newspapers from the Hawaiian state archives, books from public libraries, and friends that have helped me to strengthen my knowledge. I am also deeply grateful to my ohana who has continued to support my learning for 'ulana; taking me to Kona and Hilo so that I may collect leaves, helping me to prepare and clean the leaves, as well as providing me the encouragement to keep on studying.