BACKGROUND - Maui: Including Molokai and Lanai - page 708

this type. The humuhumu style, reserved for making flat lei, is made by sewing flowers
and ferns to a ti, banana, or sometimes hala leaf. A humuhumu lei makes an excellent hat-
band. Wili is the winding together of greenery, ferns, and flowers into short, bouquet-type
lengths. The most traditional form is hili, which requires no stringing at all but involves
braiding fragrant ferns and leaves such as maile . If flowers are interwoven, the hili be-
comes the haku style, the most difficult and most beautiful type of lei.
Tapa Cloth
Tapa, cloth made from tree bark, was common throughout Polynesia and a woman's art.
A few trees such as the wauke and mamaki produced the best cloth, but a variety of oth-
er types of bark could be used. First the raw bark was pounded into a feltlike pulp and
beaten together to form strips (the beaters had distinctive patterns that helped make the
cloth supple). The cloth was decorated by stamping (a form of block printing) and dyed
with natural colors from plants and sea animals in shades of gray, purple, pink, and red.
They were even painted with natural brushes made from pandanus fruit, with an overall
gray color made from charcoal. The tapa cloth was sewn together to make bed coverings,
and fragrant flowers and herbs were either sewn or pounded in to produce a permanent
fragrance. Tapa cloth is still available today, but the Hawaiian methods have been lost, and
most comes from other areas of Polynesia.
Festivals and Events
For such a small island, there is always something happening on Maui. From sporting
events to film festivals and rodeos to wine festivals, Maui is a flurry of community fervor
when it comes to annual events. Dates are rarely constant, however, so check local listings
and websites for up-to-date information. While many events are annual affairs, the most
consistent festive occasion is the Friday Town Parties ( www.mauifridays.com ), which
take place every Friday night. Rotating between Wailuku, Lahaina, Makawao, and Kihei,
these are great community events which are free to attend.
For other events of all sorts throughout the state, visit the calendar of events listing on
the Hawai'i Visitors Bureau (HVB) website ( www.calendar.gohawaii.com ) , or check out
the weekly schedule of events on the Maui Time website ( www.mauitime.com/calendar ) .