Discovery Saturdays – Hawaiian Independence Day

The lei custom was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by early Polynesian voyagers, who took an incredible journey from Tahiti, navigating by the stars in sailing canoes. With these early settlers, the lei tradition in Hawaii was born.  Leis were constructed of flowers, leaves, shells, seeds, nuts, feathers, and even bone and teeth of various animals.

A string figure is a design formed by manipulating string on, around, and using one’s fingers or sometimes between the fingers of multiple people.  A popular string game is cat’s cradle, but there are many string figures known as different names.  In Hawaii they are called Hei and often come with an associated chant called an ‘oli’ and are used to tell stories.