Tiny treasures from Niʻihau. These kahelelani shells are found only on the shores of the private island of Niʻihau. Carefully hand-strung, each lei is a rare and beautiful piece of Hawaiian heritage. 🤍 #niihau #niihaushell #hawaiianlei #hawaiianculture #hawaiiflowerlei | Hawaii Flower Lei

I wrote LEI ANA NIIHAU as a mele ho'ohanohano or tribute to the ohana of Ni'ihau. It speaks of the beauty of each style of lei and honors the lei makers and devotion to this uniquely Hawaiian art. As a kid growing up on the Big Island, I dreamed of Niihau, the Forbidden Isle and was drawn to the stories of it's treasured pupu. We never really had a lot of money so owning a real Niihau Shell Lei seemed an impossibility. As a young musician, I was gifted my first shell lei as payment at a Ni'ihau