kukui nut lei (necklace)

unrecorded Kanaka Maoli (Hawaiian) artist, artist

kukui nut lei (necklace), late 1800s–1980

Where object was made: United States

Material/technique: kukui nuts; ribbon

Dimensions:
Object Length (Length): 43.5 cm
Object Length (Length): 17 1/8 in

Credit line: Gift of Fritz W. Forbes

Accession number: 2007.3996

Not on display

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Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"Time/Frame," Jun-2008, Robert Fucci, Shuyun Ho, Lauren Kernes, Lara Kuykendall, Ellen C. Raimond, and Stephanie Teasley
These leis are made from kukui nuts, native to Polynesia. These nuts were commonly used as candles, and eventually people discovered that they consistently burned for increments of about fifteen minutes each. Thereafter, the nuts were used to mark time.