Kamehameha Statue Lei Draping

June 12, 2013

Many hands of the KS employee ‘ohana helped craft a 20-foot lei to adorn the King Kamehameha statue at Honolulu’s Ali‘iōlani Hale. The lei-draping ceremony was part of last week’s King Kamehameha Celebration.

The Finance and Facilities Group coordinated the making of the lei which was fashioned out of laua‘e fern, ti leaves, kukui tree leaves and strands of orange carnations. The carnations represented ‘ilima, the flower of the island of O‘ahu. Both of this year’s King Kamehameha Floral Parade honorees – senators Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye – were born on O‘ahu.

Upon presenting the lei, KS staffers gave a mele oli (melodic chant) entitled “He Mele Lei Aloha no ka Lani Ali‘i.” The chant was written for the occasion by KS education officer Ku‘u Kaulia. KS photographer Larry Racoma captured the following photos of the lei as it made its way to the statue.

If your division or campus has pics to share, please send them along with background information and captions to Michael Young at miyoung@ksbe.edu.