Te ili

Ili. Fan. This is an ili made of tuaaniu (coconut midrib), kaumoe (immature coconut leaf), laukie (soft pandanus) and fulu kaleva (kaleva feathers). Tuaaniu are braided to form the spine of the blade as well as the handle. The cylindrical handle is then encased in lalaga (woven) laukie. A beige laukie and a black laukie are lalaga to form a checkerboard pattern along the handle. The blade is circular in shape and is made of tightly lashed tuaaniu. Thin strips of kaumoe are used to lash the tuaaniu. Decorative borders are threaded along the blade using purple, green and orange laukie. A row of fulu kaleva borders the ili as another form of decoration. As in many parts of the Pacific, ili were used to keep cool in the hot weather and were often presented as gifts.