‘UMEKE PAWEHE – Dyed Gourds
Gourds were sometimes covered with designs.  These were highly valued and passed down from generation to generation as heirlooms. The designs used two different techniques.  In both, the pattern was cut through the outer skin and the skin scraped away to create the design. 
In one technique, the gourd is immersed in the mud of the taro patch or lo’i.  The area where the skin is scrapped away turns black. 
In the other method, plant dye is placed inside the gourd and the areas where the skin is left, turns dark.  The two methods give opposite decorative results.