Mo'olelo

Behind my designs

 ʻIwa

Inside each ʻiwa is a mauna symbol, representing the pali. This draws from the ʻōlelo noʻeau “Kīkaha ka ʻiwa i nā pali,” meaning “the ʻiwa soars over the cliffs.”

The repeating pattern was inspired by the movement of cranes flying together, while the linework of the feathered wings draws from paintings of tsuru or the Japanese crane.

SHOP IWA DESIGNS

Niʻihau Momi

I drew each momi shell an referencing an actual Niʻihau shell from my collection, then arranged them into a pattern inspired by the Japanese yabane motif.

The shells flow southeast, the same (general) direction they travel from Niʻihau to reach me, where I incorporate them into my jewelry. In Japanese tradition, the yabane pattern symbolizes forward movement without return and was historically worn by brides as they left their families to begin a new life. This symbolism connects to the journey of Niʻihau shells, leaving their shores to become jewelry and eventually finding new homes with my customers.

I also included eight shells across the pattern to represent the eight Hawaiian islands.

Even the color was intentional. I chose a sand color rather than blue and avoided anything resembling waves because I wanted the print to represent the shores of Niʻihau, where these shells are hand-picked. Shells that wash ashore on other islands aren't considered Niʻihau shells, and I wanted to honor that distinction.

SHOP MOMI DESIGNS

Niʻihau Kahelelani

Kahelelani shells arranged into the shape of tachi-waku, a traditional Japanese pattern depicting rising steam or waves. The pattern symbolizes an endless ascent and is considered a good omen.

Kahelelani often translates to “the royal going” or “pathway to heaven,” and the shells are said to have been named after a chief of Niʻihau.

The meanings behind the Hawaiian shells and the Japanese pattern both carry the idea of rising or ascending toward the heavens, so I brought them together in a design where the shells follow the flowing lines of tachi-waku.

SHOP KAHELELANI DESIGNS

  • Pīkake

    Rather than depicting the flower itself, this print is inspired by the pīkake beads I use in my jewelry. The purple comes from a beautiful pīkake lei I received during my bachelorette celebration. As the flowers faded over the following days, they blushed to a soft lavender that I used in this design. 

    SHOP PIKAKE DESIGNS 

  • Lehua

    The ʻōhiʻa lehua flower made from scattered paint droplets to reference sumi-e, a traditional Japanese ink painting style I used to practice. My grandma still has a painting I made of Mt. Fuji hanging in her bedroom, so incorporating elements of sumi-e into this design is a little tribute to that part of my childhood.

    SHOP LEHUA DESIGNS 

  • Holo

    A hula dancer in holo, framing an ipu heke. The two parts depend on each other, with the lines of the dancer formed by the negative space around the ipu heke, which then becomes visible because of the dancer's body. Neither image would be complete without the other.

    This design represents the relationship between dancer and ipu heke. In hula, the dancer and beat become so intertwined and begin to feel like extensions of each other. 

    SHOP HOLO DESIGNS 

  • Kalo

    The beloved kalo leaf mimicking a fingerprint to remind us that kalo is an ancestor. 

    SHOP KALO DESIGNS 

  • Implements of Hula

    A print celebrating the implements used in hula, drawn from my own implements and those of my kumu.

    SHOP HULA IMPLEMENT DESIGNS 

  • ʻUlīʻulī

    A print capturing the ʻulīʻulī in its many positions as we shake it during a hula

    SHOP ULIULI DESIGNS