Posted on: Tuesday, August 17, 2004
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Seed artist Louis Ko taught, gave
By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist
The week after Louis Ko died, his widow and his hanai daughter set up the display table in his usual spot at the craft fair and put some of his last pieces for sale.
"He wanted to share his craft, not hang on to it forever," said Mela Kealoha-Lindsey, his hanai daughter. "He wanted people to cherish his leis."
Louis Imela Ko made lei out of seeds — intricate woven and sewn designs that took up to 500 seeds and sold for hundreds of dollars. He sold his lei at craft fairs on O'ahu, and though his work could command top dollar, he lived a simple life in McCully and preferred artistry and aloha over commerce.
Photos by Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser Kealoha-Lindsey called Louis Ko "Uncle" even though they weren't related and she met him when she was an adult. They got to know each other through craft fairs, and Kealoha-Lindsey's 10-year-old son Ka'eo took a shine to Ko. In recent months, Ka'eo became an apprentice to Ko, who was teaching him how to select seeds and sew certain styles.
"This is really hard on Ka'eo because this is the first time he's experiencing losing someone that he really loves," says Kealoha-Lindsey. Ka'eo is developing the discriminating eye that Uncle Louis was noted for. "When we go riding, I always think I see the velvet seed tree and Ka'eo goes, 'No, Mom, you're just being wishful. I tell you when we see one.' "
Each seed in one of Ko's lei had to be hand harvested, not bought in a bead shop or craft store. His wife, Lolita, and his ha-nai 'ohana would help with the gathering, visiting secret sites across the island. Ko worked with the classic red wiliwili seeds, Job's tears, the coveted velvet seed — "Everything but koa haole," says Kealoha-Lindsey. "That's too touristy."
Sometimes, the seeds came from the tops of trees that were 30 feet tall. Often, Ko would get upset when the harvest wasn't up to his standards.
"He was so particular. He would separate the good ones from the bad ones. He could see things that we couldn't."
Each seed had to be hand-drilled before being strung. "Uncle got a lot of puka fingers before he perfected his drill technique," says Kealoha-Lindsey. "The drilling is the most difficult. He has to drill every single seed for a lei with 400 or 500 seeds. And the seeds can be so small."
Once completed, the stunning lei couldn't just be stored in a jewelry box. Each lei had to be treated like a living thing — gently cleaned and stored in a cool place. Louis Ko wanted his work to be cherished, and to be fortunate enough to own one of his lei comes with a certain amount of responsibility.
Louis Imela Ko died July 29 at Tripler Army Medical Center. He was 70 years old.
This morning, Louis Ko's 'ohana will gather at Diamond Head Memorial Park to say their final goodbyes. All his nieces and nephews will be wearing a seed lei that he made, and when they go home, they'll carefully clean and put them away just the way Uncle Louis taught them.
Reach Lee Cataluna at lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8172.
"If you came to him and gave him seeds you harvested yourself, he would make a lei for you for free, even if it would take him hours to do," Kealoha-Lindsey said. "That's how generous he was."
Mela Kealoha-Lindsey ties a seed lei around the neck of Lolita Ko, widow of lei maker Louis Ko, at a craft fair at the Yum Yum Tree at Ward Centre. Kealoha-Lindsey called Louis Ko "Uncle," even though she was an adult when she got to know him at craft fairs.
Some of the handiwork of the late Louis Ko is shown, including bracelets and lei. His seeds were gathered from around the island.
A Louis Ko seed lei adorns this hat.
