Lei Making with Maiʻa Bark

By Léo Azambuja
Early Polynesian seafarers brought at least 23 different plant species to Hawaii, and among them the maiʻa, or banana. The Hawaiian Arts program at Molokai Arts Center singled out the maiʻa for a free two-part lei-making workshop that concluded last weekend in Hoʻolehua.
“Today, we are going to learn how to make roses first, and then we are going to try and build the lei,” Kaulananapua Dudoit told about a dozen people at the start of the workshop, as she grabbed a piece of dried banana bark and gracefully twisted it to create a small rose in a few seconds.…














