Hawaiian Shells and Niihau Lei
There are various styles of stringing with either one, two, or four threads used in the lei. Lei kui pololei (lei sewn straight) is the traditional method used for weddings or royalty. These are made with one continuous strand up to 75 feet which is then wrapped around the neck several times at varying lengths. Lei kui poepoe (lei sewn round) resembles a rope. A different piercing of the shell is required along with the use of four lengths of thread. The position of the hole for this style allows the tip of the shell to point inward giving the lei a rounded, ropelike look. Different shell types, sizes, and colors, in combination with the various stringing styles, make for endless one-of-a-kind works of art. Leis are then traditionally joined by a cowrie shell which compliments it in color and size.
A Niihau Shell lei (Lei Pupu o Niihau) is an intricate, individually hand-sewn, perpetual lei made from the tiny shells which populate the beaches of Niihau Island, and each piece of jewelry is unique owing to the selection of shells and the artisan. They are the genuine pearl necklace of Hawaii. Lei pupu o Niihau are the garlands, the jewelry, the symbol of Aloha for the people of Niihau. A bill has been signed to protect Niihau shell lei from counterfeiting by setting labeling requirements. The bill clarifies that a Niihau shell product must be made 100 percent with shells from Niihau.
Hawaiian Shells and Niihau Shells
The three species of pupu o Niihau are momi, laiki, and kahelelani. Momi measure around 10 mm, are oval, slightly flaring, and have a shiny surface. They vary greatly in color from pure white to dark brown. The darker ones are more rare and are named momi kahakaha ikaika (powerful). The lighter shades are referred to as ahiehie (faded), and there are twenty-two distinct names for the different variations of momi. Laiki are approximately 7 mm long, resemble a grain of rice and have a smooth lustrous finish. These, which range from pure white to off white are traditionally used to make wedding leis. Kahelelani measure only 3 to 5 mm in length and have enough different variations in color and pattern to merit nine distinct names. Colors of kahelelani range from light pink to red to brown, and are named after an ancient chief of Niihau meaning ‘the royal way’. Their size makes them tedious to collect, sort, pierce, and string, and therefore are the most expensive.
For those of you who do not think in terms of millimeters, a 10 mm momi is about a quarter of an inch. And for those of you who are struggling to visualize handling and working with something that small, a 3 mm kahelelani is really, really small. Sorting is done by shell type, color, and size, with an eye for ones with flaws such as a chip, hole, or discoloration. Once the shells are sorted they are prepared by removing grains of sand in the aperture with an awl. Then, according to the style of lei to be made, the shell is pierced in a particular place with a gentle twisting motion of just the right pressure. Nearly twice as many shells are needed to create a given piece since up to half of the shells can break during the piercing process. Nylon thread is prepared for stringing by adding beeswax or glue to the end to serve as the needle.
Hawaiian Shells and Niihau
Ni’ihau Island (pronounced Nee-ee-how) is a 72 square mile privately owned island just southwest of the island of Kauai where time has stood still. Purchased from King Kamehameha V in 1864, this island is inhabited by about 200 locals preserving many of the traditional ways of life and speaking Hawaiian as their primary language. Not affected by modern progress, these proud people continue to fish and hunt for their main staples of food with ropes and knives and spears and nets. Niihau is in the rain shadow of Mt Waialeale on Kauai, which averages 400 inches of rain per year, leaving it dry and barren. While the other Hawaiian islands are known for their beautiful flower leis, this arid island which lacks tropical flowers has been famous for their beautiful shell leis for centuries. Captain Cook returned from his first explorations with a Ni’ihau Shell Lei which now resides in the British Museum.
The main shell collecting period is from October to March when the winter seas generate high surf and deposit large quantities of shells on the North shore. Whole families are involved in collecting the shells from the beaches which are anywhere from two to nine miles walking distance from the village. They usually leave early in the day to avoid the intense sun and spend hours lying on the beach slowly scanning across the hot sand inch by inch for the tiny shells used to make leis. Ranging in size from 3 to 10 mm in size, an average day of collecting may produce a small baby food jar full, while a good day may produce a 16 oz jar. Later they are sorted by size and color. Shells are rated in color from light to good to strong, with the strongest colors being the rarest and most prized. Certain of the strong, brown, striped variety may only be found in one month of the year, in one particular section, of one particular beach, on this one amazing island.
Hawaiian Shells and Pacific Jewelry Significance
Some jewelry gained significance by virtue of its connection with trade and commerce. The possession of certain valuables demonstrated that the wearer was a man of enterprise and influence. Long distance canoe voyaging provided only skilled navigators with the opportunity for trade of items not readily available in their area. Complex systems of trade and ceremonial exchanges developed with personal items such as ear rings and necklaces. Trade also moved materials between coastal and inland groups. For instance, shells were travelling to inland areas and bird feathers were going out to coastal societies.
For Oceanic peoples whose whole history is so closely bound to the sea, a fish hook worn around the neck symbolized deep cultural significance. Wedding ceremonies often featured the presentation to the bride of a pearl shell pendant. Later this pendant would be finished into a fish hook to be used by the groom and their future male children. By transferring this masculine valuable across the marriage bond, the importance of the marriage and the promised creation of a new family were presented for the whole community to see. There was also a connection between jewelry as currency and currency as jewelry as was evident with shells like the cowrie. It has been said that Pacific ornaments of shell money may be regarded as either the most valuable of ornaments or the most decorative form of money.
Hawaiian Shells and Pacific Adornment
It was the aesthetic impact that provided and enhanced the power of Pacific jewelry. Common among materials were coral, bone, human hair, teeth, fish vertebrae, shells, coconut shells, feathers, and seeds. There was only one major absence and that was metal, which they did not know of until later European contact. The beauty and power of local materials was revealed by the skill of the craftsperson. Other materials not present in their immediate environment had to be obtained by trade or travel. Gathering of these materials often involved considerable physical effort or danger, making them even more valuable. Cone shells used for necklaces were traded hundreds of miles away. Drilled red shell discs from Spondylus were rare and difficult to obtain. Pearl shell, and cowries were also widely sought for their aesthetic appeal. Women dancers wore the cowrie paired or singly with a tight cord around the neck.
People were attracted to different materials due to color, shape, texture, strength, or even flexibility for swaying movements. Feathered headdresses silently waving in unison, flowered leis wafting their fragrance, and shell anklets all added to the sights, smells and rhythmic sounds of ceremonial dances. Hardness and strength of materials were desired for heirloom pieces which became more cherished the more worn they became. Reverence for ancestors was shown through the use of human hair in heirloom necklaces. Another motive for wearing jewelry in the Pacific was for protection. Breast plates made of shell were popular for this reason and added status in battle. Boar tusks carried with them associations of fierceness and aggression seen in wild male pigs, making them appropriate body ornament for male warriors. Besides physical protection, jewelry provided symbolic protection against forces of the supernatural world.
Hawaiian Shells and Pacific Jewelry
From the high mountain valleys of New Guinea to the low coral atolls of Hawaii and the remotest specks of Micronesia and Polynesia, the diversity of local cultures was expressed in language, song, dance, mythology, religion, family, costume, architecture, canoe design, and village life. Many of these cultures were in contact with each other, sharing their ideas through exchange, trade, warfare, and marriage. Others were more isolated, especially when long distance ocean voyaging declined. Living on the coasts, they had developed shell working techniques by forming fish hooks, and adze blades. With these techniques they produced shell arm rings, Cone shell discs, and shell beads to become the earliest known examples of Pacific Jewelry. Their shell, stone, wood, and fibre techniques became more and more sophisticated, forming a foundation for future cultures. Jewelry and personal ornaments of whale tooth pendants, bone necklaces, and drilled shell pendants underwent gradual changes for each Polynesian group.
Most Pacific peoples believe in a vital spiritual energy. The materials as well as the designs they wore focused this energy and helped give them control over its power. Within each Pacific culture there was diversity in design. By nature of the materials available, most of their patterns were geometric. Key values of balance, symmetry, reciprocity, growth and replication symbolized their beliefs for future generations. Both consciously and unconsciously, these designs reinforced the values in their daily lives. Traditional jewelry in the Pacific served many more purposes than simple decoration. Pacific peoples decorated and enhanced their bodies to convey a wide range of messages to their fellows and to the outside world. Jewelry served to enhance self esteem and social position, provide physical and symbolic protection, and display wealth, status, rank, and leadership.
