by Enoka Phillips

In Hawaiian thought, a person is not seen as a solitary being but as a living bridge, rooted in ancestry, guided by spirit, and carrying the kuleana to uplift generations yet to come. The word piko refers to the center, the navel, and more deeply, the sacred points of connection that shape our identity and our relationships to the world around us.

This body of work explores the three piko through lei hulu, each crafted in the lei hulu poepoe style. These lei are more than adornment. They are ceremonial objects, woven with intention, memory, and vision. The materials I’ve chosen are deliberate: golden pheasant feathers for Piko ʻĪ and Piko ʻŌ, and peacock feathers for Piko ʻĀ. Together, they embody the cycle of life and the connection between past, present, and future.

These lei are not just symbols. They are portals for entering these sacred realms: the ancestral, the spiritual, and the generative. Each one invites us to step into deeper relationship with our kūpuna, our guiding spirit, and the world we are shaping for those yet to come.

Piko ʻĪ

This lei, deep red and circular, is made in the lei hulu poepoe style from golden pheasant feathers. It represents Piko ʻĪ, the crown of the head, the opening to the divine, to spirit, to the unseen. Red is the color of sacredness, of akua, of life force. It holds the heat of insight and the energy of inspiration.

When I create, I begin in silence, in stillness, and in listening. Piko ʻĪ is where guidance flows through. I receive vision not just with my eyes but through spirit. This lei is a vessel for that guidance. Each feather becomes a prayer. Each stitch a conversation. This is not just art. It is ceremony. A remembering. A receiving. A way of knowing that begins not in the mind but in the spirit.

Piko ʻŌ

This yellow lei, made from golden pheasant feathers, reflects Piko ʻŌ, the navel and our connection to genealogy and to ‘āina. I chose yellow because it reminds me of Kānehoalani, the sun. The sun, like our ancestors, rises each day to meet us, to warm us, to guide our paths.

This lei is a reflection of that warmth, of light passed down through generations. Each feather is a ray of memory, a beam of gratitude. Through Piko ʻŌ, I ground myself in lineage. I remember that I do not create alone but from the abundance of those who came before. This lei honors the bloodlines, the stories, and the aloha that lives within me.

Piko ʻĀ

The final lei, deep blue and made from peacock feathers, represents Piko ʻĀ, the generative center, the place of creation and kuleana to the future. Blue speaks to depth, to the ocean, the sky, the vastness of what is possible. The iridescence of peacock feathers reminds me that the future is alive, shifting, and shaped by what we choose to offer it.

This lei is a commitment. A promise. It holds the energy of what we pass on...the teachings, the care, the beauty. Through Piko ʻĀ, I honor the keiki not yet born, the forests not yet regrown, and the dreams still forming. I create not just to remember but to ensure that what is precious continues.

Piko is a reflection of my own journey to stand firmly in who I am: a descendant, a cultural practitioner, and a creator. These works are offerings to the ones who came before, to the spirit that moves through all things, and to the generations yet to come.

The three lei in this collection are made in primary colors red, yellow, and blue, the foundation of all others. In the same way, the three piko are foundational to our identity and purpose. When we remain open to spirit and guidance (Piko ‘Ī), when we understand where we come from (Piko ʻŌ), and when we hold kuleana for the future (Piko ʻĀ), we are whole. We are balanced. From that place, all things are possible.