Although Hawaiians have no legends to account for the origin of Hawaiian string figures, called “hei,” which are made by looping string around and between one’s fingers to form complex patterns, it’s certain that they predate Captain Cook’s discovery of
Although Hawaiians have no legends to account for the origin of Hawaiian string figures, called “hei,” which are made by looping string around and between one’s fingers to form complex patterns, it’s certain that they predate Captain Cook’s discovery of Hawai‘i in 1778.
By 1928, Kaua‘i Judge Lyle A. Dickey had amassed a fairly complete collection of 115 Hawaiian string figures representing love affairs, animal life, turtles, shrimps, fish, crabs, geography, mountains, springs, places, potatoes, stars, bridges, houses, fishnets, calabash nets, eyes, navels, breasts and people in well known stories and legends.
Besides the obvious meaning of these figures, the chants which accompany many of them contain allusions to legends, myths, stories and other chants, as well as figures of speech. However, loss of knowledge of old allusions, old mythology and history has meant that the figurative meaning of most chants is now unknown.
The translated chant of the string figure “Wailua,” which was made on Kaua‘i, says, “Great Wailua hump that stands in the eye of Uluena. Huluena and Manuena and Makakii between. O Nounou. O Aahoaka. O long mountain trail of Kane.”
Uluena was a heiau. Makakii, the location where chiefs were conceived, was situated between the places Huluena and Manuena. Nounou, also known as Sleeping Giant, and Aahoaka are hills between which the Wailua River runs. The trail of Kane led to the summit of Mount Wai‘ale‘ale and the god Kane.
Another string figure represents Kalalea, the peak above Anahola, and Koananai, the shorter nearby peak with the hole in it. Its chant says, “I pity Kalalea living up the mountain embracing Koananai while Koula has a calm place.”
“Hula Lumahai,” a simple figure, inspired a chant alluding to the robber Kapuaapilau, who lived by the seacoast at Kealahula between Lumahai and Hanalei.
