Hawaiian Cordage

When I took the Hawaiian Ethnobotany class in the spring of 2011, we learned how to make cordage just like how the Hawaiians of old used to make them. We learned how important the cordage and ropes were for them for everything that they did. They used rope daily. For temporary binding, the Hawaiians used vines, unmodified strips of bark, leaves, or grasses. For durability they used cordage, kaula, which they twisted or braided out of plant fibers. Before the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778, the Hawaiians fastened things with cordage; they had no nails, bolts, or screws. They used cordage to bind the parts of their houses and canoes, their two-piece fishhooks and hafted adzes, to mend cracks in wood and gourd articles, and so on. The strongest fiber to make cordage with is Olona. We used Hau (Hibiscus tiliaceus) when we made some in class. We spun and braided the hau to make cordage, usually made for lashing; I made a small bracelet to wear. Kaula was a foundational part of many of the tools and operations of daily life. It was a means of obtaining food, being woven into ‘upena (fishing nets), hīna‘i (fish traps), and individual aho (fishing lines). ‘Aha cords marked the sacred boundaries of ali‘i dwellings. It was essential to the creation of the ‘ahu ‘ula (feather capes) worn by the Ali‘i Nui, providing the material for both the thin, yet strong nets treasured by the bird catchers and the naepuni (cord netting) that held the feathers of these magnificent capes. Cordage protected the warrior in battle, binding the sharp teeth of the manō to a wooden handle and providing a base for the woven mahi‘ole that deflected blows to the head. I really appreciated learning how to make kaula like our ancestors did. I had the privilege to learn to do something the way the Hawaiians did them in the wā kahiko.

References:
http://mauinow.com/2011/07/19/maui-cordage-workshop-explores-hawaiian-use/

Lāʻau Hawaiʻi by Isabella Aiona Abbott

Hawaiian Cordage by Catherine C. Summers