Ke Alahou, Volume I, Number 8, 1 July 1980 — LEI HALA [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

LEI HALA

by Kananlmauloa

Mary Kaululaniomalama Kaalakea Lindsey is one of nine offspring born to Henry Kaanohi and Kauluomalama Kaalakea of Kipahulu, Maui. Of her three brothers, Henry, James, John and three halfbrothers, David, Joseph, George and two sisters, Annie and Hattie, she was selected to come to Honolulu to further her education at the request of Kipahuiu's principal, Mrs. Gibbs. Fearing the plight of a small hometown areja, Mrs. Gibbs felt Kaulu could further her education and not become a child bride at a very young age. Leaving Kipahulu at age 11, Kaulu stayed in Honolulu and earned her keep as the family helper, to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lowrey. For six months, she lived with the Lowrey's on Kamehameha school campus, where Mr. Lowrey presided as the boys school English teacher. While kving with them she attended Kalihi Uka school. It was after this period, Kaulu, moved with Mayme Nelson, a cousin of Mrs. Lowrey, who would be moving permanently to the mainland. It became necessary to change to Liliuokalani school where she lived with her foster family on Wilhelmina Rise. During the summer's, Kaulu went home to Kipahulu for two weeks and as a natural routine worked in the sugar cane fields alongside her father, brothers and sisters. . • Returning to Honolulu, she metriculated at McKinley high school and in her junior year she met and married her late husband, Lewis Rodney Lindsey of Honolulu. in the fall of 1956, Mary Kaulu Lindsey became a full time teacher for the Kinau Center under the Hawaii Association for Retarded Children and worked for sixteen years until her retirement in 1972. Her beloved husband, Lewis passed on in November 1967. In 1969 while busy working as a full time teacher and with the added responsibilities of raising a family, Kaulu was able to complete her interrupted

high scftool education and received her diploma from the adult evening education school. During her years of retirement, she is justaihusy keeping active as a volunteer for Waimano Home Foster Grandparent Program. It is here at Y/aimano that she daily assists and helps the severly retarded youth to become self-sufficient in their personal" health and care. -" A chance meeting of a fellow member giving hala leis happily at Her Church services triggered Kaulu's desire to do the same thing, because the giver and the; receiver was full of happiness when the delightful lei custom was repeated every Sunday.' It was at this time of her life, 15 years ago that Kaulu and her very close friend, Mabel Santiago of Waianae, picked, separated, cut the ahui hala, sewed the hala into leis with the laua'e or red and sometimes green ti leaves, as their cultural contribution to their island heritage. With positive attitude and determination with lots of practice, she became the expert of plant life of the ahui hala and puafeaja sewing methods in her various lectures and demonstrations on this island and Maui. According to Kaulu, the ahui hala season is at its peak from August to December ancj possible in early July. She attests that the fruit has reached its maturity when the keys of the afyui hala are large and showing shades or tinges of yellow between the keys. Described in the book, Ka Lei; "the word HALA means fault, transgression, error; to pass; the stigma of the word meaning was attached to the lei. It was considered unlucky to wear the lei hala. This consideration probably resulted from a legend which tells of a kahuna lapa'au who asked, Hi'iaka to help save his sick patient. Hi'iaka who was wearing a lei hala, replied that she could not help him. It was too late, the patient had passed away. ''Yet there is a lucky side of the lei hala, again derived from the word meaning. The lei hala worn during the makahiki (harvest, peace) festival meant that the faults, transgressions, troubles of the year was approached without trouble and errors with only good luck." To this day, Bawaiians still attach these meanings to the lei hala, and as the times and life modes .changed, new luck and unlucky occassions were added."Never give a lei hala to a person who is campaigning for public office for it will surely mean his defeat? Give a lei hala to mark the passing, the completion of a venture and the beginning of a new one." % And it is during late December and early January, that Kaulu and Mabel work earnestly and with vigor in transgressing this lei of luck to the New Year recipients, "to let by-gones be by-gones."

Mary Kaululaniomalama Kaalakea Lindsey

Gutting /auae into squares