Mary Louise Kekuewa
Mary Louise Kekuewa | |
|---|---|
| Born | Mary Louise Kaleonahenahe Wentworth Peck February 5, 1926 Puʻunene, Maui, Hawai'i, United States |
| Died | July 18, 2008 (aged 82) Honolulu, O'ahu, Hawai'i, United States |
| Other names | Aunty Mary Lou |
| Occupation(s) | Cultural artisan, teacher |
| Known for | Lei hulu (feather lei), haku hulu (featherwork) |
| Spouse | Paul Kalakoho Kekuewa (m. 1944–1994; his death) |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Living Treasures of Hawaii (2003) |
Mary Louise Kaleonahenahe Wentworth Peck Kekuewa (February 5, 1926 – July 18, 2008) was an American Hawaiian master of the ancient art of lei hulu (or feather lei) making and teacher.[1][2] She is considered the "matriarch of the feather arts" according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.[2] Kekuewa often worked in making feather leis alongside her daughter Paulette Kahalepuna (1945–2014);[3] they co-authored a instructional book in 1976, and co-founded a school in Honolulu together in 1991. Kekuewa was nicknamed Aunty Mary Lou.[4]
Early life and family
[edit]Mary Louise Kaleonahenahe Wentworth Peck was born February 5, 1926, in Puʻunene, Maui.[4] Her parents were Katherine Mailelani (née Rose), and Nohea Oramel Arnold Peck Sr.; her father was a civil engineer in the United States Army.[5][6] During World War II, the family moved to San Francisco, California, where her father was stationed at the Presidio.[2] After the war, her father moved to Japan alone, and was stationed there many years.[6]
She and Paul Kalakoho Kekuewa married in 1944 in San Francisco, and together they had two daughters and one son.[7]
Career
[edit]In 1955, Kekuewa ran for Aloha Week Queen, and lost.[8] After she started helping with the costumes for Aloha Week Queen, and learned featherworking from studying under Leilani O. Fernandez.[8] Kekuewa started teaching feather lei making in the 1950s at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu.[9] In 1975, Kekuewa was finally named the Aloha Week Queen.[8][10] She was featured teaching feather lei making in 1976 on the PBS television series Pau Hana Years, with host Bob Barker.[11]
Working alongside her daughter Paulette Kahalepuna (1945–2014) and Milly Singleary, they wrote and published the book, Feather Lei As An Art (1976). Their book was revised in 1990, with Karen A. Edlefsen.[8] In 1991, Na Lima Mili Hulu Noeau (English: Skilled hands touch the feathers), a lei feather-making school and supply store in Honolulu was co-founded with her daughter Paulette Kahalepuna.[1][9]
Many of their family has gotten involved with feather lei making, including Kekuewa's granddaughter Mele Kahalepuna (now Mele Kahalepuna Chun), and great granddaughter Taryn Wong.[9][12][13] A generation of Hawaiian featherworkers have been influenced by her teachings, including Pattie H. Miyashiro,[14] and Beverly Gwaltney.[15]
In 2003, she award the title of Living Treasures of Hawaii.[16]
Kekuewa died at the age of 82 on July 18, 2008, in Honolulu.[4]
Publications
[edit]- Kekuawa, Mary Louise; Kahalepuna, Paulette Nohealani; Singleary, Milly (1976). Feather Lei As An Art (1 ed.). Honolulu, Hawaii: Na Lima Mili Hulu No'eau.
- Kekuawa, Mary Louise; Kahalepuna, Paulette Nohealani; Edlefsen, Karen A. (1990). Feather Lei As An Art (revised ed.). Honolulu, Hawaii: Na Lima Mili Hulu No'eau.[8]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Bowman, Lee Ann (August 13, 2013). "Family Tradition of Feather Work". Hawaii Business Magazine. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ a b c "Halau honoring matriarch of the feather arts". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. 2004-07-30. p. 113. Retrieved 2024-11-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A Family Legacy of Aloha". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. September 25, 2015. pp. T5. Retrieved 2024-11-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Obituary: Mary Louise "Aunty Mary Lou" Kaleonahenahe Wentworth Peck Kekuewa". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. November 26, 2008. p. 22. Retrieved 2024-11-28 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Obituary for Katherine Peck". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. December 24, 1955. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Nohea Peck Is Back in Isles After 16 Years". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. August 8, 1957. p. 9. Retrieved 2024-11-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Obituary for Paul Kekuewa Kalakoho". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. 1994-07-09. p. 24. Retrieved 2024-11-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d e Ronck, Ronn (June 26, 1990). "They took a fresh look at an ancient Island art". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. p. 13. Retrieved 2024-11-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Treasures of O'ahu". Chicago Tribune. December 10, 2010. pp. 5–7. Retrieved 2024-11-27 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Arcayna, Nancy (September 7, 2006). "Vibrant Culture: The Aloha Festivals is a Matter of Tradition and History for Mother and Daughter". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. p. 43, 44, 45. Retrieved 2024-11-28 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Omo, Kavet (2023-02-23). "Pau Hana Years: Feather Lei Making with Mary Lou Kekuewa". PBS Hawai‘i. Retrieved 2024-11-27.
- ^ "Feather Leis: Intricately Crafted Expressions of One Hawaiian Family's Aloha". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. 1990-03-13. p. 178. Retrieved 2024-11-28 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "About Mele Kahalepuna Chun". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. 2017-05-28. pp. D3. Retrieved 2024-11-28 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Most Precious of Leis". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. September 22, 1986. p. 17. Retrieved 2024-11-28 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "A class tailored for culture". Ventura County Star. July 10, 2006. p. 18. Retrieved 2024-11-28 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Honpa Hongwanji Mission to honor Living Treasures of Hawaii". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. February 1, 2003. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
External links
[edit]- Video: PBS Hawai'i Classics, Pau Hana Years: Feather Lei Making with Mary Lou Kekuewa (1976)
- Video: Nā Momi Hoʻoheno Oral History Series Featuring Mary Lou Kekuewa, Paulette Kahalepuna (2008), by Kaʻiwakīloumoku Hawaiian Cultural Center