Hawaiian String Figure Making Continues

A participant in Hana Hei II shows pride in her first attempt at hei (string figure making). She shows the classic Hawaiian hei figure, "Halekumuka'aha" , a house figure, which is created with a doubled string to show "strength and endurance". The opening move is unlike other symmetrical openings which posed a problem for almost all participants. This workshop was a first at the Ka 'Aha Hula o Hälauaola: 3rd World Conference on Hula held at the Kamehameha Schools this entire week.

Hana Hei at Hälauaola Conference

Julie Moana Boyd is exuberant at her first attempt at Hawaiian string figure making in my presentation at Hälauaola 2009. Here she makes 7 -eyes or "Nä Hiku o Makali'i". Julie is attending the 'Aha Hula o Hälauaola 2009: Worldwide Conference on Hula held this week of July at the Kamehameha Schools, Kapälama Campus. It is held every four years and features performances, cultural field trips, and presentations by noted composers, hula exponents, and Hawaiian cultural practitioners.