Menagerie

I just looked up the word "menagerie" to make sure I spelled it correctly and found that it means "a collection of confined wild animals". Not the meaning I had in mind but anyway.....

Meet our furry friends.

This is Koa aka "chocho" and "fat guy". He's your usual poi dog...half rotweiller and half who knows. Our friends Cindy and Lottie gave us Koa as a little puppy about 13 years ago.

He's still a great watch dog yet very gentle and very smart.....he has Kent very well trained!

This is Popoki aka "kitty". She's been with us just about as long as Koa. Son Kila came home from his friend's house one day carrying this little kitten, "mom, can we keep her?" Those of you who remember our store on Eha Street might remember Popoki....we kept her there to help with the rat problem. She is still a great rat hunter and she still loves to plop herself in the middle of whatever you are working on. Especially when cutting fabric or goat skin.

This is Lilikoi but only comes to "pssssst, psssst". Lilikoi is Popoki's one and only son. He's not a very good mouser....I think it's because he eats so much, he's always full and doesn't see a need to hunt. His main job is to curl himself up next to me when I wrap 'uli'uli and keep company.

This is Matilda (just couldn't get a focused pic for some reason) who is very elusive and shy. She likes to hang amongst the pakalana vines and then, sometimes not.

Her boyfriend Spike comes to visit every now and then.

Sorry, I had to add another insect picture. Found this big one in the back workshop this afternoon. Maybe it is a menagerie after all....

Today's 'Olelo No'eau: Pili kau, pili ho'oilo. Together in the dry season, together in the wet season.

Said of a loving companionship.

This and What's That?!!

First of all, I need to announce that I finally updated our Specials. Here you will find unique items, some of which would make very nice presents. Check it out.

It's been a very busy week or so, starting off with the annual Hula o Na Keiki at the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel. Congratulations to na haumana of Halau Kekuaokala'au'ala'ilihahi (my sister Lisa dances with this halau!) for winning the Kane and Wahine divisions.

We participated in the craft show and also did mini workshops. Here is a picture of two of our students from Halau Lani Ola of Irvine, CA making 'uli'uli and puniu.

This past week we also did an ipu heke workshop for one of the hula classes at Kamehameha Schools. Here the students are preparing kukui oil to finish their ipu heke.

We have also been very busy trying to fill orders in a timely manner. With Christmas around the corner, and I'm guessing, Christmas performances, we have lots of 'uli'uli to make.

Speaking of 'uli'uli, while I was sitting putting some together the other day, I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye. This is what I saw. I'm still learning how to use the camera so was thrilled to catch this picture.

Most people would find this disgusting, but I found it fascinating! Can you guess who's pulling who around? Well, it was the wasp dragging the cane spider all over the garage. I wondered what it was going to do with its prize.....then I remembered that wasps like to lay their eggs in strange places. That's when I decided not to think about it anymore and went back to work.

Today's 'Olelo No'eau: Eia ka iki nowelo a ka mikioi. Here is the clever and dainty little one.

A boast, meaning "I may be little, but......"

Plants in the Yard

Today was clean the yard day so I thought I would introduce you to some of our plants.

This is our little laua'e patch. I hate to say that I can't remember where the first seedling came from but this little patch has served us well over the years. I remember a couple of years ago one evening when Bronson announced, "Mom, I need a lei po'o."
Sure, when? "Uh, tomorrow." Typical....




When my mom and dad moved from Makawao to Kahului, I inherited the orchids. I wasn't sure how many would survive since I knew nothing about orchids. As it turns out, they are all doing quite well. I guess if they're in the right place, you don't over water them (not a problem) and feed them every so often, they're happy. This particular orchid, I found out, was my
grandmother's from her house on Alabama St. in Pu'unene, still in its original cement pot. I guess it's pretty old since Alabama Street (and most of the houses in Pu'unene) hasn't existed in awhile. Sad.



This is probably the last of the pakalana blooms for this year.
Another special plant that came from the house I grew up in. I took cuttings from my mom's plant in Makawao and planted them along our back fence. It is my absoulute favorite flower! I remember getting a twelve strand lei for graduation (which I kept in my room until it just about turned to dust) it smelled so wonderful. The fragrance just puts you in a good mood.

Every morning Kent picks some and puts them on the window sill in the office. Hmmm....



This stephanotis aka pua male (sometimes worn by brides hence the name "wedding flower") also adorns the back fence. It appeared on our plant bench one day pretty much looking like a stick in a pot. A couple of weeks later I find out it's a stephanotis from my Aunty Sally's house. It had a rough start but is now flourishing....even surviving a weed whacking from Kent!

This plant called Pa'u O Hi'iaka is also the name of Hokulani's halau and was a center piece at the halau's 30 year anniversary (2 years ago?). I wasn't sure how happy this plant would be here in Pukalani since it is a coastal plant, but so far so good.

According to legend, long ago, the volcano goddess Pele went surfing and took her baby sister Hi'iaka with her. She left Hi'iaka asleep on the beach while she went to surf. Enjoying the surf so much, she forgot all about her baby sister lying there in the hot sun. Seeing all of this, the gods took pity on poor Hi'iaka. On remembering her little sister, Pele quickly returned to the beach to find that the gods had covered her in the vines of this plant to protect her from the burning rays. That is why the plant is called Pa'u O Hi'iaka (The skirt of Hi'iaka).

Well, I may have to do a part II Plants in the Yard since I have more plants with stories. Some day...

Today's 'Olelo No'eau: He keiki aloha na mea kanu. Beloved children are the plants.

Plants are like beloved children, receiving much attention and care.

Meet Junior

I just returned from a visit to Junior's workshop. This is a long time friend (we used to paddle canoe at Na Kai 'Ewalu many moons ago) and master woodworker. When not working at HC&S, he makes our koa papa hehi, kala'au, lauhala strippers and tapa beaters........among many other things. His specialty being traditional koa paddles.

Attention tapa makers! I just picked up a beautiful kua kuku (wooden anvil for beating tapa) made from milo. You can find this along with other koa items in our Specials. Christmas is right around the corner......

To see a really cool video about Junior, click here.

This is Uncle Joe working on koa braclets.

If you're on Maui, you can usually find Junior and Uncle Joe at the Maui Swap Meet in Kahului every Saturday (way in back under the trees).

Today's 'Olelo No'eau: E ola koa. Live like a koa tree.

Live a long time, like a koa tree in the forest.

Aloha!

If you haven't visited us in awhile, you may have noticed some new changes.

A few new buttons.
Specials: We hope to keep the specials filled with unique items at great prices.
NaKaniOHula.jp: We just recently translated our website into Japanese for our customers in Japan. I'm quite nervous about communicating though, since I only have two years of High School Japanese under my belt (I don't think I paid attention very well (sorry Mrs. Hirai) and I won't say how many years ago that was!). We'll see.....
Blog: I love to read blogs so I thought I would give it a try. Let you know what is happening here at Na Kani O Hula and here on Maui.

A few new items.
Hula Supplies: We used to avoid making 'ulili since it was so darned time consuming. But we bit the bullet and figured out a way to make them without giving us major blisters! We also have available Koa papa hehi and kala'au.
Craft Supplies: We have some really nice lauhala strippers (box and handheld) and tapa beaters. Check it out.

This coming weekend is the Hula O Na Keiki, solo keiki hula competition, at the Ka'anapali Beach Hotel. We will be participating in the craft show Friday and Saturday (9am to 4pm) and also doing ipu/'uli'uli workshops. We do this every year (since I believe 1994) and have such a great time. I'll try to take some pictures for you.

Today's 'Olelo No'eau:
He lei poina 'ole ke keiki. A lei never forgotten is the beloved child.