Makahiki O Ka Moʻo

I know when people think of “Lunar New Year” or “Year Of The Dragon”, people tend to think of the traditional Chinese dragons/lion dragons, but I wanted to put a little twist on this piece. My “dragon” is actually a moʻo, since Hawaiian “dragons” were actually just very large moʻos. I depicted the Native Hawaiian Blue-Tailed Skink, since it is one of my favorite native species. With this piece, I wanted to bring a blend of both Hawaiian and Chinese cultures, as seen in some of the visual elements (e.g. bamboo, lanterns, the Hawaiian iconography on the fan and clothes). Each icon used on the clothing of the woman is meant to symbolize the same values that Lunar New Year usually encompasses, like family (the closely-knit dots), past/present/future (the triangles), and strength (the crescents represent the koa leaves). The triangular symbols with the line going through them on the sleeves represent the moʻo. Every part of this piece that you see was very intentional. even down to the model (my friend, Lahapa, who is both Hawaiian and Chinese!)