Lei Lau Nīpuʻu

Lei Nīpuʻu – Lei Hīpuʻu

The classic nīpuʻu style lei is made by knotting the petioles of individual leaves together, as in this lei lau kukui.

Kanoe Cummings, winner nīpuʻu style lei, 2007
Kanoe Cummings, her lei lau kukui was the winner in Nīpuʻu Style Lei, 2007. Image: Leilehua Yuen

Here, you can see the same technique used to make a lei lau hau.

Lei lau hau nīpuʻu.
Lei lau hau nīpuʻu.
Underside of the lei lau hau nīpuʻu, showing the knotting technique.

A more frequently seen lei which uses the nīpuʻu technique is the lei maile. This lei has been untwisted a little to show the tidy knots which hold the lei together.

Lei Maile
A lei maile showing the classic wili (twist) and nīpuʻu (knot) for making this highly fragrant lei.