The more you know the less you need: Palm frond hats!

By teaching Haurainui’s mom to weave these hats, maybe he will be able to teach his children one day…Keep culture alive, it makes the world rich and beautiful!

“The more you know, the less you need.” –Aboriginal Proverb

On one of our last evenings together, Blight pulled a long palm frond from the back of his car, split it down the middle., and counted off 13 leaves. He fit it around Raiarii’s head and said, “Need a new hat?”

We’d both been itching to learn how to make palm frond hats in real Polynesian tradition. On the island where Raiarii lives, the youth seem to spend much more time in front of the TV than learning about their culture. So many traditional practices have slipped away, especially in the last 30 years…We’d been loving learning as much as possible from the more culturally in tact peoples of the Marquesas, as a part of our own effort at cultural revival…

So Blight taught us to make hats! In the days that followed, Raiarii and I spent long hours working to perfect and solidify our new hat-making skills. And at each of our following island stops, we found numerous opportunities to pass on the sustainable headwear stoke!! Some of the easiest ways to create a sustainable future are to learn from those who live/lived in harmony with Mother Earth for thousands of years…

Thanks to coach Blight patiently walking us through the steps, we gots palm frond hat-making skills!! Raiarii’s was perfect…must be in the genes.

Practice makes perfect!!