Eye for beauty

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Aunty Dot Sakamoto never discards discolored ti leaves. Instead she collects them, using them to create hundreds of dainty ti-leaf roses.

The aging, yellow ti leaves provide a two-tone effect, showing off the beauty of the whole lei, she explained. About 30 flowers are used for each of her fancy rosette leis. "I stay away from the reds because they bleed and can stain your clothes," she added.

Sakamoto was introduced to her craft about five years ago, through her interest in orchids. Since then she has been seeking techniques to perfect the rosette leis.

"I took home samples to practice. I'd get discouraged and stop but I was determined," she said. "I always try to take it to the next level and make it my own. It may be tedious but it teaches you patience."

After two years of dedicated practice, she finally mastered the technique. "Now my hands move without thinking."

Oftentimes she makes dozens of ti-leaf roses while watching television. One lei takes about 90 minutes to complete. "But it takes a lot of practice to get to that level."

Sakamoto experimented with many different techniques. She developed a jig -- a simple metal rod -- to make the roses. A skewer can also be used, she added.

Using a tool helps to keep the ti leaf from springing open when shaping the flower and helps to maintain a consistent shape, she explained.

Putting the lei together is like braiding. "Most people do it freehand," she said. "I hate to struggle. I always work at things until I develop a much easier way of doing things."

Sakamoto also noted that the leis can be kept for several months. "I put them in the freezer, and they last for about six months. ... They maintain their color."

Sharing her craft with others, she demonstrates how the leis are made for visitors at the Bishop Museum on Sundays. Onlookers even have an opportunity to create a satin ribbon rose to take home.

"I meet people from all over the world," she added. "I find it intriguing to talk story."

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Kuahiwi Lorenzo shares tales of Hawaii's past with visitors, offering minilessons in the art of feather craft. He shares the tradition of flower lei greetings familiar to visitors, and addresses the difference between feather leis that were a sign of royalty.

"Feather work was the jewels of the time," he explained. "It's how you cherish and prize it that makes a difference."

Lorenzo is one of the artisans participating in Na Hana No'eau, a new arts and crafts program at Bishop Museum that hosts weapon makers, carvers, painters and lei makers. The native Hawaiian artists are presenting arts and crafts demonstrations on weekends in the new Atrium Lobby between Hawaiian and Polynesian halls.

The temporary program is funded by a grant from the state Foundation on Culture and the Arts through June 29.

"We had demonstrations in the past, and we are trying to bring it back," said Hiilani Shibata, Bishop Museum's education operations manager, added.

Lorenzo has been making feather leis, among other things, for 17 years.

At one time, he said, whole villages were involved in collecting the thousands of feathers needed for each lei. Capes, helmets and other artifacts used thousands more. Just a few feathers were plucked from each bird, he said, with red, yellow, black and green the most commonly used colors.

"People just see a feather but I see a lei," Lorenzo said.

Although it takes about 12 hours to complete one lei, preparation takes at least two weeks. Feathers need to be clipped, tied and then bundled. "The hardest part is tying them into bunches," he said.

The bundles are then tied to a main strand -- in modern leis this strand is ribbon, but cordage was the original material used in pre-Capt. Cook days, he added.

"We don't just put the feathers together," he said. "We try to re-create the past."

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Craft demonstrations

» Time: 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays

» Place: Bishop Museum Atrium Lobby

» Cost: Free with museum admission

» Call: 847-3511 or visit www.bishopmuseum.org

April

» Painting and Hawaiian language with Meala Bishop and Malia Melemai, April 5, 12

» Feather work with Kuahiwi Lorenzo, April 6, 20, 27

» Ti-leaf rosette lei with Aunty Dot Sakamoto, April 13

» Lei o mano (cordage) shark-tooth project with Keith Maile and Daniel Maile, April 19; niho pua'a (boar's tooth) project, April 26

» Weapon making with Kaha Toledo, April 27

May

» Mamo Festival features a variety of native Hawaiian artisans, May 3 and 4

» Weapon making with Kaha Toledo, May 10, 26

» Feather work with Kuahiwi Lorenzo, May 11, 25 and 26

» Ulumaika making with Keith Maile and Daniel Maile, May 17

» Ti-leaf rosette lei with Aunty Dot Sakamoto, May 18

» Palau making, Keith Maile and Daniel Maile, May 24

June

» Ti-leaf rosette lei with Aunty Dot Sakamoto, June 1, 22, 29

» Makau making with Keith Maile and Daniel Maile, June 7

» Feather work with Kuahiwi Lorenzo, June 8, 15, 29

» Fishhook making with Keith Maile, June 14

» Lau hala with Kuwahine Tokunaga, June 21

» Weapon making with Kaha Toledo, June 28