Kamoe Feather Lei

Feather work in Hawaii goes back 1,500 years, brought by the first settlers from the Marquesas Islands. Lei, capes, cloaks, helmets, were worn as a symbol of status that could only be owned by Hawaiian royalty. Feather lei was the only form of feather adornment that could be worn and made by women.

The feathers used were harvested from native birds, with yellow, red, and gold being the most valued. They are tied together in small bunches, and attached to a string of ‘olona fiber. There are different techniques and ways to create the lei, this one being kamoe, where the feathers are in a “sleeping” flat position and resemble a rope.