The Lahaina Museum’s Ancestral Workshops, which offer visitors a hands-on opportunity to learn the survival and crafting skills used by the first Hawaiians, has become one of the most popular events in town. The workshops come hot on the heels of last year’s wildly popular ancestor exhibit, which featured a number of artifacts including shark-toothed weapons called Leiomano. Tickets to the workshops are almost impossible to come by, and the waiting list now extends through the end of the year. Curators Balen and Maci Kiko say they are thrilled at the community’s response and plan on continuing the program next year.
“We want to teach people that when it comes to Hawaiian art and crafts, there’s a whole lot more than just leis,” says Balen. The museum has numerous stations where visitors can learn about the art and clothing of Hawaii. Experts will demonstrate how to make everything from lauhala bracelets, kukui nut art, coconut dishes, various ti leaf crafts, and even a class on making Kapa, the traditional barkcloth made by early Hawaiians from plant fibers.
Ike Hoomana Spokesperson for the Office of Hawaiian Culture (OHC) says he’s impressed with the workshops, especially the detailed history of featherwork. “Without a doubt the most important ancient Hawaiian craft was featherwork. As well as being beautiful and incredibly ornate, It held great social and spiritual significance. Rare feathers were used to create helmets, capes, and elaborate hair ornaments that only the nobility was allowed to wear.”
“It’s not just art on display at the workshops. We also focus on the hunting and fishing techniques of the Hawaiian people,” says Maci. “It is amazing how much these people could do with what they found around them.”
Patrons are taught a number of primitive traps used to catch birds and early agriculture methods. However, the sea provided the biggest bounty and Hawaiians developed numerous fishing techniques. Hooks shaped from human, bird, dog, or whale bones as well as, pearl, turtle shell, or wood are on display. There are demonstrations showing how early people made fishing line and nets from olona fibers and colored them with Koki`o dye to make them less visible in the water. The numerous methods used for trapping fish are also discussed, and some of the simpler methods such as fish baskets, are demonstrated to guests.
The Kiko’s say they are thrilled that so many share their appreciation for the beauty and inventiveness of the early Hawaiians. “We’re talking about incredibly brave people who arrived with little more than their boats, knowledge of the ocean, and ingenuity. I think we can all appreciate, and learn a little from these incredible people,” said Maci.
While most echo her sentiment, not everyone is thrilled about the hands-on nature of the workshops. In fact, local resident John Driscol says the skills taught are potentially dangerous. “The bay was exceptionally calm that day, so I decided to give up my spot on the beach, grab my air mattress, a few beverages, and float away the afternoon. I had no idea that my world was about to turn upside down because someone wanted to practice their ancient fishing skills,” he says.
“When I awoke, I couldn’t figure out where I was at first. I was still floating, but the ocean was at least 50 feet away, and I could barely see over the handmade wall of sharp rocks that surrounded me. After a few seconds, I realized that I was caught in a tidal fish trap. It’s designed as a sort of corral to trap fish at low tide. My mattress and I had drifted a few miles while I was asleep, and the wind had pushed me into the trap. I’m no expert on poisonous coral, but I’ve heard that in nature the more colorful something is the more toxic it is. Looking underneath me, everything was colored like neon lights. It was too shallow to swim without touching any of the coral, and I had lost my shoes. I had left a game running on my phone and it was dead, so calling for help was out of the question. Worse still, I had failed to properly close my floating cooler and all the beer was no longer cold. I knew it might be hours before the tide would come in, and free me from my mini-pool jail. I was already a little sunburned, and it was only going to get worse. Fearing that I might be on the verge of dehydration, I tried drinking one of the warm beers, but as soon as the lukewarm brew touched my tongue, I spit it out. I knew that before the day was done, I might be forced to drink a warm beer to save myself, but I wasn’t that desperate yet. Nonetheless, I put it back just in case. It was torture floating around in there. Normally, I could easily do nothing for hours, but knowing that I had no choice in this case was terrible. I never really liked survival movies before, but enduring those hopelessly uncomfortable three hours before the tide rose and freed my mattress, changed something inside me. The horror of that time, carefully paddling around the tidal trap, with suboptimal beer opened my eyes. I’m afraid I’ll never be able to enjoy doing nothing ever again.”
