Explore Hawaiian culture through the art of lei making with flower inspirations and gorgeous photography from stylist, fashion designer, and local island icon Meleana Estes. Brimming with vibrant photos of the most famous flower garlands of Hawai’i—the lei—in dreamy island settings, Lei Aloha tells the story of the flowers, craftsmanship, and community of lei culture, offering a window into this beautiful world where life is a little slower, flowers are abundant, and personal connections run deep. Local style icon Meleana Estes continues the legacy of her native Hawaiian grandmother, who was well known for her intricate and stunning lei. Sprinkled throughout the book also are anecdotes about the fascinating history of flowers, lei, and island traditions. Each chapter tells the story of a grouping of flowers and lei, such as plumerias for a sweet gathering of neighborhood keiki (kids), elegant strands of white and yellow ginger for a candle-lit party, or striking lei haku made for hula performances. It’s an easy craft for the homesteader with roots in a full backyard garden or the digital nomad who keeps her possessions in one suitcase and can pick up flowers on her travels. With evocative photos of vintage mu’umu’us, lush tropical gardens, lei-bedecked longboard surfers, striking tablescapes, and graceful hula dancers, Lei Aloha shares a side of the islands that only locals usually get to see.

A children's book about the tradition of making and sharing lei in Hawai'i.

Lei are the very expression of traditional Hawaiian culture and were once an essential part of community and family life. Following in the footsteps of Samuel Kamakau, Abraham Fornander, and others, the authors have collected here a wealth of written and oral information to reveal the significance of making and wearing lei and their role in Hawaiian ritual and dance. This volume covers eighty-five flowers and plants (and another dozen color variations) used in traditional lei construction. They are arranged according to their Hawaiian names and accompanied by botanical information and descriptions gleaned from legends and chants that illustrate the cultural uses and special meanings of lei prior to Western contact. Many are introduced by poems written especially for this work by master kumu hula, linguist, and ethnologist Pualani Kanakaole Kanahele. The authors present the lei art form in not only words, but also pictures. Lavish color photographs by Jean Coté showcase each plant and lei (shown by itself or worn), as well as places throughout the Islands associated with specific flowers and plants. An appendix includes a complete list of lei plants, basic instructions for their propagation, and other sources for material.

In a village in old Hawaii, everyone is excitedly preparing gifts for the impending visit of the King and his family. A poor young girl wishes she had a special gift to give. With help from her fairy friends, she comes up with the perfect gift of aloha.

Offers step-by-step instructions for making seventeen ribbon leis, including tips on threading, marking, stitching, shredding, pinching, and folding.

Meet Punky Aloha: a girl who uses the power of saying "aloha" to experience exciting and unexpected adventures! Punky loves to do a lot of things--except meeting new friends. She doesn't feel brave enough. So when her grandmother asks her to go out and grab butter for her famous banana bread, Punky hesitates. But with the help of her grandmother's magical sunglasses, and with a lot of aloha in her heart, Punky sets off on a BIG adventure for the very first time. Will she be able to get the butter for grandma? Punky Aloha is a Polynesian girl who carries her culture in her heart and in everything she does. Kids will love to follow this fun character all over the island of O'ahu.

"Aloha" is at once the most significant and the most misunderstood word in the Indigenous Hawaiian lexicon. For K&257;naka Maoli people, the concept of "aloha" is a representation and articulation of their identity, despite its misappropriation and commandeering by non-Native audiences in the form of things like the "hula girl" of popular culture. Considering the way aloha is embodied, performed, and interpreted in Native Hawaiian literature, music, plays, dance, drag performance, and even ghost tours from the twentieth century to the present, Stephanie Nohelani Teves shows that misunderstanding of the concept by non-Native audiences has not prevented the K&257;naka Maoli from using it to create and empower community and articulate its distinct Indigenous meaning. While Native Hawaiian artists, activists, scholars, and other performers have labored to educate diverse publics about the complexity of Indigenous Hawaiian identity, ongoing acts of violence against Indigenous communities have undermined these efforts. In this multidisciplinary work, Teves argues that Indigenous peoples must continue to embrace the performance of their identities in the face of this violence in order to challenge settler-colonialism and its efforts to contain and commodify Hawaiian Indigeneity.