Bōb (Pandanus tectorius - Pandanaceae)
|
Flower garlands and chaplets adorn persons at important occasions, and anyone wishing to show affection or respect may present a lei. To make a wreath for the head (ut), one winds one or more species of flower and kino or other leaves around a strand of pandanus (bōb) leaf, idin ļōļō. Lei makers use a variety of flowers, with choice depending in part on availability; even the tiny lavender blossoms of Utkōņamņam (Vitex trifolia) sometimes appear in a chaplet. Residents of crowded Ebeye give knit yarn wreaths for the head and silk leis more often than flower and leaf garlands, perhaps owing to the scarcity of flowers on that heavily populated island. Residents of atolls with rich plant life may also present knit yarn ut, however. |
Utkōņamņam (Vitex trifolia -Verbenaceae) |
Kino (Phymatosorus grossus - Polypodiaceae) |
