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“You’re right. Sorry. I just got a little sad thinking about it.”
“I love you, Leilani.”
“Love you too, baby.”
Up ahead a man stands waving us forward. He wears a serious expression, not a hint of a smile or welcome. In the green field to his right, women stand around huge metal vats. They are stirring something with long poles. Behind them, sturdy lines are strung, and large pieces of cloth hang in the shade.
“He wants you to park there. Oh look, Alek! They’re making it right there!”
I pull over in front of the single building that houses the business, and we get out.
“Morning,” I say to the man with resting bitch face.
“Aloha. I am Pono.”
“Alek. And this is Leilani.”
“Welcome. So you are looking to hang some of our fabric in your restaurant?”
“My mother’s restaurant. The grand opening is in about four weeks. Maybe you know of her. Nani…”
“Of course I know Auntie Nani. Lani told me your story and what you are planning for the new restaurant.”
“She thought your devotion to authenticity would be perfect.”
“That’s why I agreed to the idea. Nani has honored us with her art, and we will honor her with ours. Come, let me show you what we do here.”
Chapter 16
LEILANI
We follow him into the field, where the women welcome us with smiles.
“Hello.”
“Aloha!”
“This is the Kapa,” Pono says. “Traditional fabric made from the Ula tree bark or the mulberry plant, called wauke.”
“So interesting.”
“We raise it to grow straight and tall, for twelve months. Mature stalks are cut down and harvested. The brown and green layers are scraped off to reveal a fine white layer called The Bast.”
“My God. I had no idea,” I say.
“That is just the beginning. Then it is soaked for ten days, beaten with a mallet, and placed in banana leaves to ferment in a warm, shady spot.”
“How long do you have to beat it?”
“It takes days, if not weeks to soften the fibers. It is time-consuming and labor intensive.”
“Is there a demand?”
Pono meets his question with a ready answer.
“This is a craft practiced by devoted groups seeking to revive and keep alive the venerable traditions of our culture. Demand is a secondary consideration.”
“What a beautiful tradition. Really, Pono, it is impressive.”
