Hehi Hula Tank Top

This breathable, cotton tank top features original, custom artwork by Maoli designers. The center chest design is printed using soft hand ink.
With a modern fit, featuring a rounded neck, this soft, breathable cotton tank top is one that can be worn casually for any occasion. Whether it is playing beach volleyball, grocery shopping at the farmers’ market, or running along the coast, this Maoli t-shirt is perfect for any occasion.

• Tank top.
• Soft jersey cotton.
• 100% combed and ringspun cotton.
• Tri-blends are 50% polyester/25% combed/25% ringspun cotton/rayon.
• Rounded neck.
• Tank top.
• Premium artwork by indigenous designers.
• Custom, trademark graphic.

NATIVE HAWAIIAN DESIGN

The Hehi Hula (hula steps) design honors the intricate complexity of hula movements. When ʻōlapa (hula dancers) are gracefully recounting the stories embedded in a traditional oli (chant) or modern mele (song), they do not arbitrarily move about. 

Each hand motion is carefully choreographed by the kumu hula (hula instructor) guided not only by years of prior experience in the art, but also through their own personal ancestral connections. The hands of the ʻōlapa describe physical things or actions, like a strong wind coming off of the pali (cliffs), a gentle misty rain falling down onto a newly blooming flower, or the rise and fall of the ocean tides as they crash on the kahaone (sandy beach).

The motions of the dancer’s feet are all named movements, which not only help to standardize movements across a hālau hula (hula company), but also helps in preserving and perpetuating the practice. Gently swaying side to side is the kāʻō; the four step movement to the left and right is a kāholo; rotating the hips in a circle is called an ʻami.

This design captures each of these hehi hula into a word cloud in the shape of an ipu heke (gourd drum), which is used by a kumu hula to maintain a beat while the ʻōlapa dance. Wear this design if you are a proponent of hula, and love the intricate detail that goes into choreographing a beautiful hula.