Hawaiian feather lei master and cultural treasure Doreen Henderson received the NSDAR Women in the Arts Recognition Award from Hawaii Loa Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution on Jan. 15.
The award, which required national-level approval, was based on letters of recommendation from Lei Hulu O Hilo’s Pilialoha Johnson and Robert Beebe, a persuasive essay, and photographs of Henderson’s original feather work designs.
Lyman Museum’s Barbara Moir, Ph.D., helped obtain the recommendation letters and spoke at the presentation about Henderson’s influence on preserving lei hulu traditions and innovations, and the community’s enthusiasm for her workshops.
Known fondly to her students as “Aunty Doreen,” Henderson was awarded the NSDAR Women in the Arts Recognition Award Medal and Certificate, an honorarium, and two orchid lei that were sent via Fed Ex to her in California.
Born in 1925 at Hilo Bay where the Grand Naniloa Hotel now stands, Henderson has long been recognized in Hawaii as a living treasure because of her traditional feather-working knowledge and skills, her volunteer work in teaching and perpetuating lei hulu traditions, and her artistic designs and innovative techniques, which go beyond mere mastery of technique to unparalleled excellence. Emphasizing color in a well-designed piece, Henderson creates a three-dimensional look by feather placement, custom-dyed feathers, and invisible stitches, a lei hulu technique that she developed and has taught to her students.
Henderson has received many awards for her feather work. She was honored as a Living Treasure by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Naniloa Wall of Legends, and the NSDAR Historic Preservation Medal — now the NSDAR Women in the Arts Recognition Award.