came up with a friend and stayed with us.
In 2011, Gladys Kukana Grace, an accomplished lauhala weaver, received a National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship. The prestigious program is designed to recognize and preserve the country's diverse cultural heritage, and fellowships go to master folk and traditional artists. She passed away in 2013 at the age of 93.
To honor Aunty Gladys, as she is known, and her influence as a teacher, the Academy presents Ulana Me Ka Lokomaika’i: To weave from the goodness within, pāpale, or hats, by her and her many dedicated students.
Aunty Gladys learned the art of lauhala weaving from her maternal grandmother, Kukana, while growing up in the small town of Olelomoana on Hawai‘i Island’s South Kona coast. Weavers claim the hala, or pandanus, trees from that region produce the best lauhala (leaf used for weaving). The weaving techniques and patterns were once guarded as family secrets, and were handed down from mother to daughter. Aunty Gladys’s grandmother’s family was known in particular for weaving hats of light and dark contrasting patterns known as anoni.
Aunty Gladys explains best the value of lauhala: “It is a connection with the past. It changes your life. It will make you a better person.” A steward of lauhala weaving for more than 30 years, Aunty Gladys has taught hundreds of students since the 1980s. She gave many lessons on her front porch. Between 1988 and 1998, Aunty Gladys also participated in the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts' Folk Arts Apprenticeship program.
came up with a friend and stayed with us.
In 2011, Gladys Kukana Grace, an accomplished lauhala weaver, received a National Endowment for the Arts’ National Heritage Fellowship. The prestigious program is designed to recognize and preserve the country's diverse cultural heritage, and fellowships go to master folk and traditional artists. She passed away in 2013 at the age of 93.
To honor Aunty Gladys, as she is known, and her influence as a teacher, the Academy presents Ulana Me Ka Lokomaika’i: To weave from the goodness within, pāpale, or hats, by her and her many dedicated students.
Aunty Gladys learned the art of lauhala weaving from her maternal grandmother, Kukana, while growing up in the small town of Olelomoana on Hawai‘i Island’s South Kona coast. Weavers claim the hala, or pandanus, trees from that region produce the best lauhala (leaf used for weaving). The weaving techniques and patterns were once guarded as family secrets, and were handed down from mother to daughter. Aunty Gladys’s grandmother’s family was known in particular for weaving hats of light and dark contrasting patterns known as anoni.
Aunty Gladys explains best the value of lauhala: “It is a connection with the past. It changes your life. It will make you a better person.” A steward of lauhala weaving for more than 30 years, Aunty Gladys has taught hundreds of students since the 1980s. She gave many lessons on her front porch. Between 1988 and 1998, Aunty Gladys also participated in the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts' Folk Arts Apprenticeship program.
