Day 11--Monday, November 29, 2010
I'll be back to hula this week after a break for Thanksgiving so I had to do a tribute to my Hawaiian ancestors, my Halau Hula, and my Hawaiian name. "Leimamo" was given to me by my Loea Hula, Naomi Leina'ala Kalama; she told me that the name refers to the crowns of yellow feather lei that were worn by ali'i (Hawaiian royalty) and is a symbol of both sovereignty (the crown) and softness (the feathers)--qualities she saw in me and wanted me to cultivate.
(above is an artist's rendition of the Mamo bird, from whom the golden feathers were gathered for leihulumamo)
(front and center in this image is a lei in which the golden feathers typical of leihulumamo dominate)
I did a little more research on both the meaning of Leimamo and my own Hawaiian ancestry and found some remarkable common threads. For example, Lei Mamo is the name of a Hawaiian quilt pattern that depicts the 'ohi'a lehua--a tree with stunning feathery flowers that is endemic to Hawaii and is an integral part of Hawaiian culture in general and hula in particular. There are several examples of this quilt on record as being made on the island of Maui, including one from the town of Wailuku, where my great-great-grandmother was born.
(a Lei Mamo quilt from Maui; note the golden color of the pattern)
Leimamo also refers to a lei, or garland, made from the yellow-flowered variety of 'ohi'a lehua, a rare form much less common than the well-known red lehua.
(Lehua Mamo or golden lehua, from which lei mamo are made)
(a painting of a fresh leilehuamamo, note the yellow blossoms and the rosettes of 'ohi'a leaves--ka'ohi'alau--from which my ancestors took their family name)
This is especially meaningful for me as my mother's line is Ka'ohi'alau, meaning the leaves of the 'ohi'a tree, whose blossoms are the lehua and this tree is the kinolau or plant body of Laka, the patron goddess of hula. So Leimamo is my name, given to me by my Loea and my birthright from my Ka'ohi'alau ancestors.
I took the predominant colors of both the feather, quilt, and flower Lei Mamo and made a look to celebrate myself as a hula dancer, my Loea who teaches me, and my family without whom I would not be here:
Pretty, huh? I love the combination of yellow-golds and shimmery golden-greens--very flattering for us brown-eyed gals!
Face is prepped as per my usual routine with mineral foundation to match my skin tone and Orglamix HD Microfinish Powder in Hush Hush and Orglamix Magnetism prep/primer on the eyelids. After that, I continued the application as follows:
1) Pat Orglamix Honey all over lid from brow to upper lash line and blend out to highlight the golden color
2) Pat Orglamix Ambre on inner 1/2 of lid and blend into crease
3) Pat Orglamix Cilantro on outer 1/2 of lid and blend into crease, bringing in toward the inner part of crease
4) Pat Orglamix Wasabi into crease and blend into the Cilantro
5) Mix Orglamix Cardamom with Orglamix creamliner in Penny and line upper and lower lash lines
6) Apply more Ambre wet to inner corner of eye and inner lash lines to highlight
7) Blend matte brown shadow into brows to shape/define and apply black mascara to lashes
8) Sweep Orglamix Mineral Glow in Rose Quartz over cheekbones, nose, chin, forehead
9) Mix more Rose Quartz with clear gloss and apply to lips
(Here's another view of Leimamo highlighting the green hues of Cilantro and Wasabi and the mix of Cardamom and creamliner in Penny as eyeliner)
(this pic details placement of Ambre, Cilantro, and Wasabi)
I love this look as it exemplifies both the colors and qualities of my name: it is a soft and lovely, graceful look and the shades of gold and green can symbolize warmth, growth, and well-being. This is something I would be proud to wear to my halau.
