Hawaiian Crafts

  Woof! Do you know who the Menehune were?

According to Hawaiian legend, Menehune were a race of little people that were good with crafts and building things. They worked at night. If they didn't finish in one night, they never finished it.

 

The Hawaiians made many useful and pretty things from the plants, rocks and other natural things they found around the islands. Click on the titles below to find out how to make your own Hawaiian crafts!

 

 

Lauhala Weaving

The Hawaiians wove the leaves of the Hala (Screwpine) tree into many useful things like baskets, mats, hats, fans, and bracelets. They even used the mats to make the sails for their ocean traveling canoes.

Bishop Museum Archives 

Kapa cloth was made by ancient Hawaiians. They beat strips of mulberry tree bark into a soft, sturdy cloth, then printed patterns and designs on the cloth with natural dyes and stamps.

You can make "kapa cloth" and print it in your classroom using paper bags, markers, paint and stamps.

Lau means leaf in Hawaiian. You can paint leaves and flowers and use them like stamps to make pretty pictures.

Petroglyphs are pictures carved into large rocks that were left by the ancient Hawaiians. You can make make small "rocks" in your classroom and carve into them, or you can make easy petroglyph pictures with sand and glue, or paint.