Maile Lei, Lovely Maile Lei …is Growing Sustainably on Hawai‘i Island By Marcia Timboy
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KeOlaMagazine.com | May – June July – August 2020
or centuries, lei made from the shiny fragrant lei has become excessive in recent decades, and is notably vines of maile have been used to communicate love, respect, linked to the inception of Hawai‘i Island’s celebrated Merrie blessing, enduring devotion, reverence, friendship, and peace. Monarch Festival. Many ancient oli (chants) and mele (songs) celebrate its The maile vine is an integral part of the native Hawaiian fragrant beauty. forest understory. Improper gathering practices, a lack of Maile, Alyxia stellate, an endemic plant only found in Hawai‘i, cultural protocol, and uneducated and acquisitive opportunists is fairly common in dry to mesic forests on all the main islands have added to the decline of Hawai‘i’s already fragile except Kaho‘olawe and Ni‘ihau, where they probably occurred ecosystem—specifically of the native forests. Fortunately, in the past. Traditionally the true stewards of the island’s maile was symbolic of the gods natural environment are taking and one of five kino lau (plants) measures to ensure sustainable used to decorate the kū‘aha practices will preserve these (altar) of Laka, goddess of hula. native forests for future The legend of the five Maile generations. Sisters—minor goddesses of hula, who took human or plant The Island Gardener—Aloha forms—are remembered today ‘Āina Practitioner by the five varieties of maile: David Miranda was six years maile pākaha (blunt leaf maile), old when he decided to become maile lau nui (large leaf maile), a horticulturalist. “I knew my maile lau li‘i (small leaf maile), work would be to grow plants.” and maile kaluhea (sweet One of six children of Wallance smelling maile). Freitas Miranda and Lorraine Maile was offered to signify Lopes Miranda, Dave grew up a peace agreement between in Kāne‘ohe, O‘ahu; however, warring chiefs. The chiefs would his roots run deep in ‘O‘ōkala symbolically intertwine the on the Hāmākua coast. Both maile vines during ceremony sets of great-grandparents, at a heiau (temple), and its one family immigrating from completion officially established Oslo, Norway, and the other peace between the two factions. from Madeira, Portugal, sailed The maile lei’s allure endures from Jamestown, Virginia, on to this day. Hula dancers still passage around the Horn to the wear strands of maile, and Kingdom of Hawai‘i between kama‘āina boys opt to wear 1885–1887. Jonas Gulbrand a maile lei to prom instead Jonnasen and Libana de Freitas of a boutonnière. Maile lei were young children when they are gifted to celebrate significant Maile farmer and aloha ÿäina practitioner, David Miranda. photo by Marcia Timboy landed at Hawi, on the Kohala occasions like graduations, coast. The Jonnasen and Freitas birthdays, and retirements. families, as with many North Grooms adorn themselves and their groomsmen in maile lei, Hawai‘i settlers, became “cattle people,” or ranchers. Jonas and a hand binding ceremony using maile lei is still performed and Labanga eventually met and married in Kukuihaele, a at weddings. Untying a maile lei is the Hawaiian version of village along the Hāmākua coast. “My great-grandparents were a ribbon cutting ceremony, commemorating the opening of Royalists; they were loyal subjects of the Kingdom.” new buildings, roads, businesses, and even at Hawai‘i State Dave’s grandmother, Olivia Jonnasen would marry his government sessions. grandfather, Joseph Miranda, from another ranching family. The popularity of giving and receiving lei, along with other The Mirandas moved to the ranching area of Maunawili on Hawaiian cultural practices, has grown in the last century as O‘ahu and had five children. Tragedy struck when Joseph was the islands have become more accessible to visitors globally. kicked by a cow, contracted tetanus, and died. Soon after the Hālau hula (hula schools) from the continental US, Japan, sad event, his grandmother took the four younger siblings and Europe, Mexico, and around the world order the highly coveted moved to California. Dave’s father, the eldest child, was 18 at the time. He stayed in Honolulu, finding work as a machinist 18 maile lei for special performances, as well as for weddings, graduations, and other occasions. The great demand for maile at Pearl Harbor. As fate would have it, he was called in to work