String Figure, Honu (Turtle)
Made on Maui and Kaua'i
Dickey 1928: 77
Start by facing the palms of your hands together with your fingers pointing up. Now loop the string around both the left and right thumbs and return by stretching your hands out so that the string is tight.
Now the little finger of your right hand picks up the far right thumb string. Do the same with the little finger of your left hand. The string that goes across your palm is called the palmar string.
Using the index finger of your right hand pick up from below the palmar string of your left hand and return by stretching your hands so that the strings are tight.
Now with the index finger of your left hand pick up from below the right palmar string making sure that you pull it through the loop that goes around your right index finger.
Thumbs pick up near index finger string. Little fingers pick up far index finger string. You will now have
two strings on your thumbs and little fingers. There will be an upper
string and a lower string. Navaho the thumbs and little fingers.
To Navaho bring the bottom string up and over the top string and your finger so that you are left with only one string on that finger.
You now have a straight string that goes from the little finger of one hand to the little finger of the other hand and a straight string that runs from the thumb of one hand to the thumb of the other hand.
Your thumbs now go over and pick up the straight string that runs from the little finger of one hand to the little finger of the other hand.
Your little fingers now go over and pick up the straight string that runs from the thumb of one hand to the thumb of the other hand.
Navaho thumbs and little fingers
One of the chants that goes with Honu (Turtle) is:
O honu nui maeaea
Mai Kahiki mai ka hele ana mai,
O Kahiki ula.
Oh turtle big and powerful
Come from Kahiki here
Oh red Kahiki.