Niihau lei makers enhance visitor experience

Hawaii cruise visitors always have been able to buy Niihau shells. But now they will be educated about the shell decorating tradition.
"Each lei maker has her own special style, like a signature, representing her passion and personality," said Ilei Beniamina, a Niihau lei maker. "We teach our opio [young], even as early as age five."
Lei makers from the island of Niihau demonstrated their skills Tuesday to cruise ship passengers stopping at Kauai's Nawiliwili Harbor, in a pilot program to educate visitors aboard Princess Cruises.
"We want to connect Hawaiian artisans with the market out there, and we want them to be very much in charge of how the craft and lei are presented," said the president of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.
Robin Danner noted that the process also means a more authentic visitor experience, as passengers buying shell lei get to meet the artisan who created it.