Meanings for the shirts:
I had pondered if I wanted to post the meanings of the shirts so soon, so here they are. Mind you, that these shirts were largely committee designed. I happened to be the tool and implementation.
Race Jerseys:
Some of the kaona of our race jerseys were set by the committee. If you look at the center motiff of the design, there are outtrings, one layer made of "mau niho manu", shark's teeth. This ring represents Sandy Kahanamoku, and Steve Kekuewa, the progenitors of the club. The wave-lets, or small wave designs, represents the descendants, us as paddlers. The are going in one direction, and a foward momentum to pass on what is unique to paddling, the knoweldge of paddling. One wave forms to the next one, and that wave forms to the next, and so on and so on. The inner design, The wave and rays. I am aware that it resembles the Japanese Hokusai wave. However in designing the piece, I had no idea how it was going to shape up. I had been trying to come up with wave designs and drawings and vector shapes. I had gone round and round, and i had come upon some vector designs of this wave with out the rays. I though that it was a very appropriate design as to me it is a icon of how the club is as a wave, a force to reckon with. It can start of small and unassuming and through it's currents can become something of a huge tenacious entity, much of what I've noticed about our club having been a member the last 6 years. Marina has become very strong and deep in it's strong paddlers. The rays, ironically did not make it. It did go through some iterations. I had strong feelings of the rays, and was not against other ideas, but am happy it was settled on them. The rays to me was a symbol of the sun rising in the East. To some Hawaiian beliefs, the sun that rises in the East, is a representation of desire, eagerness. There is a place on the Big Island, gates if you will, and this gate's name is Ha`eha`e, desire. The Hawaiian's desire to achieve new things and learn new things are represented by the rising, passing and setting of the sun. We great each obstacle with desire and passion, and as the sun reaches it's zenith, we are achieving one's goal, and as it reaches the horizon to the west, we are happy we have met and conquered those goals.
Ironically, however, at the time of designing the piece, and feeling somewhat satisfied, it was about 12:30am, and I received a call from "Sunshine" (Kathleen to those who do not know who Sunshine is), and urged me to turn the TV on. Japan was just hit by a Tsunami. I thought how ironic. So we could inveriably add that the design too could hold a bit of an homage.
The Woman's Shirts:
The woman's shirts are simple. Plumerias, and a goddess named, Namaka-o-ka-ha`i. This goddess is also well known to be Pele-honua-mea, or Pele-`ai-honua, or just Pele, the fire goddess. Namaka and Pele constantly fight. But I wanted to choose a design that suited and represented the ferocity and persistence in our women's team. Legend says that the forming of the Hawaiian Islands were in part due to Pele and Namaka fighting, ultimately resulting in Namaka thrashing Pele and defeating here in Hana, leaving her bones shattered on the rocks there, a place called, Ka-iwi-o-Pele. The Plumeria is one ying and yang. The plumeria offsets the ferocity by the flower's beauty and sweet fragrance, or onaona. Lastly the placement of the design is also important to note. It is planced on the Hina side of the body, or the feminine side.
The Men's Shirts:
As with the women's shirts, the placement of the design is on the opposite side of the women's design, the right side, or the Ku side. Ku is a representation of masculine characteristics, aggressive, and strength. As with the colors of the design, bold and powerful. The colors yellow and red, were chosen to signify forwardness, and koa and kaua, strength and war. Often the red and yellow were worn only by Ali`i, kings. But my personal belief is to never equate onself to those of "ali`i-ship". The rays are a signifcance of what's called Ha, or breath. Breath to the Hawaiians is where life flows. If you give breath to someone, you are giving life. Look at the word Aloha. Alo- HA. If you were to look at old hawaiians greeting each other, they are choosing to break personal boundaries, and be in close proximity of one another, and are in each presence and breathing in their energy.
http://www.lynnjohnsonphoto.com/images/galleries/hawaii/0H-1.jpg Also if you look very closely to some of the distressed patterns in the larger "K", you can see the Hawaiian Island chain in there.
