Within this icon there is a Kahili (kah-HEE-lee) and two paddles. The Kahili is a symbol that is used as a standard of royalty. Similar to how Eurocentric royalty would have a coat of arms or banner. This feathered creation was used in ancient times by the Hawaiian royalty, to show social status, rank and family lineage.
*There are many sizes and styles of kahili, from very small kahili-pa`a-lima (hand kahili) carried like a scepter by female chiefs, to the towering formal kahili. There are also many intermediary sizes which each have their own place in traditional regalia.
When things of the past get buried, they have a tendency to be forgotten. OkShoots is using this symbol as a way to remember the ways of the past island life and lifestyle. Is using this symbol "kapu"? Well that's for the end user to decide. But in our camp, it is a nod to the ali'i in the past, present and future. And by highlighting the Kahili in our logo, we just want people to know that OkShoots did not forget the paths the Polynesian people have traveled in the past, and the paths the Polynesian people will forge into the future.
"Aloha is Everywhere!"
-OkShoots
Photo* Courtesy www.kaahelehawaii.com