Aloha kākou!
As some of you may know, our Mua hat is modeled off the great aliʻi Kekūhaupiʻo who was known as a master of lua (ʻōlohe lua), the ancient practice of hand-to-hand combat in which bones are usually broken. According to legend, Kekūhaupiʻo was born on the Big Island; Keʻei to be exact. As a youth, Kekūhaupiʻo would take part in mock battles near the Hikiau Heiau at Kealakekua Beach. The kahuna of that heiau witnessed Kekūhaupiʻo's courage, valor and audacious spirit and told Kamehameha's father that his son would one day become a legendary warrior, and eventually coerced his father to let Kekūhaupiʻo to study the art of lua. A few years later, after becoming "moa lawa", "sufficiently adept to prevail in future battle," Kekūhaupiʻo began to teach Kamehameha The Great the art of lua after joining the court of Kalaniʻōpuʻu whom ruled the island of Hawaiʻi. The rest of Kekūhaupiʻo's storied career was spent fighting many battles alongside Kamehameha and would professionally serve in the name of Kamehameha.
Our Mua, pictured above, dubbed “Beet Root” pays homage to Kekūhaupiʻo’s celebrated legendary status. The word “Mua” means “forward” and ties into Kekūhaupiʻo’s devoted support he had for Kamehameha’s destined vision to amalgamate the Hawaiian islands under one rulership. This Mua is made of 100% polyester in a new color, “beet” with dark gray stitching, tonal, breathable eyelets and white stitching on the New Era logo, and white snap.
