Tools of war

Art and cultural lessons come with Hawaiian weapon-making

The students in woodworking classes at Windward Community College have learned to look at fish, stones and trees in a very different way.

A swordfish bill, for example, with a few hours work becomes a regal sword -- one that looks ready to cause some serious damage, as in the days of Old Hawaii.

Gordon 'Umialiloalahanauokalahaua Kai led the students in this hands-on discovery of an ancient art.

War clubs, swords, daggers, spears and elaborate canes are among the treasures in Kai's personal collection of traditional Hawaiian weapons. It has been an interest since high school, when he was exposed to an old weapon possessed by a relative. "We were not allowed to touch it because of safety purposes," he said.

The first piece he carved was a lei-o mano, or shark tooth weapon. "No one could tell me where to get one, so I made one," he said.

Over the past couple decades, Kai's collection has grown and he began teaching others weapon-making.

Kai, recognized by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs for his crafted artifacts, was part of a WCC class series, "Ho'omau: Indigenous Art Forms of Hawaii." His four-week courses followed those in kapa and pahu (drum) making.

Students were tasked with completing a weapon during each class period. "I want them to have that sense of accomplishment," he said. The first was the swordfish-bill sword.

Kai taps all resources to get the fish parts, most often meeting with fishermen. "Sometimes, I have to go through rubbish cans."

The bill needs to be straight, said Kai, and the sides checked for damage.

Fins, wood, stone, cordage and an array of other materials are also used: "Designs have purpose and that is what makes them more effective."

The transformation into a weapon is aided by a saw, grinders, sanders and polishers -- help that ancient Hawaiians wouldn't have had.

"We are using modern tools to create traditional weapons," Kai said. "We create the weapons using the knowledge of the past. They are simple in design, but very effective in function."

Today's tools make it easier, but something is lost in the process, Kai admits. "Today the spirituality is lessened to a great degree. ... You don't spend as much time and care as if you were hand-making it. What would have taken hours and hours can now be done in 30 minutes."

But keeping the traditions alive has its own set of benefits, he said: "They look at a fish, stone or tree and see something in there that is very functional."

In ancient times, the trade of weapon-making was "inherited in the warrior who was training diligently," he said. But many people made their own weapons out of the necessity to customize. "Weapons are very personal. You want something that is comfortable. Speed is important, not the size and weight of the weapon."

The predominant fighting style was close, hand-to-hand combat, he said. Weapons needed to take advantage of the individual's talents and strengths.

Kai's weapons, however, are not meant for battle, and safety is one of his main concerns. Along with the art of weapon-making, he teaches responsibility for the handling and placement of the weapon in the home.

"The weapon is not intended as a tool to use -- it is a replica of something historical, nothing more." No one under age 18 is allowed in the class.

Kai's woodworking classes have a side benefit: recycling of tree stumps, scrap lumber and branches that otherwise would end up in landfills.

In fact, the formal name of the woodcarving program at WCC is Na Kukui Ho'oulu O Na'auao (Program for Knowledge and Enlightenment Through Trees). Coordinator Brandon Avegalio hopes the program will become a resource for the community.

"Community groups and school groups can come and get wood for free," he said.

Avegalio spends countless volunteer hours cleaning, organizing, cutting wood and disposing of sawdust. "We don't want this program to die. I'll do what I can to keep it afloat."

Avegalio would like to add more cultural programs, such as featherworking. "We definitely don't want to stop here."

Tutaitaualetoasavili "Kuka" Toelupe attended all three courses in the "Ho'omau" native arts series. "From this experience, I hope to gain more knowledge, not only of the Hawaiian culture, but also the skills needed to recycle or put life back into pieces of wood," she said. "I have been looking at pieces of wood on the side of the road and my imagination takes off on things I would make out of it."

Toelupe shares the woodworking skills with her students in the work-readiness program at Kahuku High School.

"We are looking to provide our students with more skills they can use to be successful in the world of work," she said. "With these types of classes they can try new things, find out what they are good at and enjoy doing and take these new strengths and build upon them."

Nina Higuchi attended the weapon-making class to learn to make a cutting tool for kapa making. "I'm part-Hawaiian and should learn more about my culture," she said.

Not sure what she was getting herself into, Higuchi found the class and its instructor to be "pretty ingenious." She had no previous woodworking experience.

"As a woman, it was empowering to make something so powerful," she said. "My intent was to make the pieces for my brother and some close friends. They are helping cook at my wedding and I couldn't think of a better way to thank them. It is something priceless to share with them."

Higuchi appreciated that everything was made with natural products. "We used no glue or synthetic products," she said.

Instead, the students learned braiding techniques.

"We learned all different types of braiding, from two strands to eight strands," said Eric Michael Kane, a fellow student. "The braiding is useful in everyday life -- you can make twine or rope."

Most important, Kane said, he learned the importance of perpetuating the traditional arts. "We need to learn and continue to pass on the culture."

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