Saturday, July 28, 2018
Instructor: Kumu Herman Tachera
1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
$65 for Center members, $75 for general public

Come learn the art of handcrafting Hawaiian feather lei from Herman Tachera, kumu and founder of Hui Lei Hulu O Ho’omau located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Brought to the Hawaiian Islands by early Polynesian settlers, featherwork capes, lei, helmets and other garments were used primarily by the ali’i (chiefs and nobility) to symbolize status, royalty and lineage. Early Hawaiians believed birds had symbolic spiritual powers and their feathers would imbue garments with additional value and status. Feather lei were traditionally the only feather adornments women of Hawaiian nobility were permitted to create and wear. Today this handicraft tradition has been handed down to modern practitioners of the art. While many feathers traditionally came from local bird species that are now endangered or protected, many modern feather lei crafters use dyed feathers from geese, pheasants and other common birds. Enjoy learning more about the tradition of feather lei and make your own to take home!