Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 1, 1 January 2009 — Mary Louise Kekuewa [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Mary Louise Kekuewa

Feb. 5 1926 - Nov. 18, 2008 - | One of Mary Lou Kekuewa's most prized works of Native Hawaiian feather work was a eloak - the kind traditionally worn by ali'i. She spent 13 years crafting it. The prized feather eape hangs inside the featherwork shop she opened on Kapahulu Avenue in 1991, and as mueh as birds use their bright feathers to attract one another, the store has been a magnet for scores of people who sought out Aunty Mary Lou not only for her artistry but also for her magnanimous spirit. "She greeted everyone with a smile. She made everyone she eame into contact with feel important and nurtured," said daughter Paulette Kekuewa Kahalepua, of her mother, Mary Louise Kaleonahenahe Wentworth Peek Kekuewa, who died on Nov. 18 at the age of 82. Kekuewa discovered the art of feather work while volunteering for the 1955 Aloha Week Festivals on O'ahu. She wanted to help the festival's Royal Court refurbish its regalia of vintage feather lei and kāhili. She took lessons from Leilani Fernandez and then proceeded to share her newfound knowledge with others - an important step that expanded the teaching of the art beyond isolated enclaves of hālau and civic clubs. Paulette, who helped teach classes, said her mother did not follow any of the existing ali'i patterns, such as those preserved at the Bishop Museum, in making her prized eloak because she believed that "every feather eloak is a unique family heirloom." Kekuewa named her eloak Ahu'ula o Maile Lani, a reflection of an image of her own mother's smiling face. In addition to Paulette, Kekuewa is survived by son Paul Kekuewa and daughter Nyla Kekuewa McKinzie. E3