The Ola Collection – Tako (He’e, Octopus)

Ola has many meanings in Hawaiian, among them are life, health, well-being; alive, living; heal, survive, thrive. Each design in the Ola Collection is inspired by something that sustained and helped the Hawaiians thrive.

Octopus was important in old Hawaii in many ways – for a start, Hawaiians believed that the he’e, along with all water dwellers, are good luck. But more importantly, He’e are aumakua – spiritual guides. The lessons of the he’e aumakua are tied to flexibility, intelligence, and a multifaceted nature. Additionally, according to Hawaiian legend, our current universe is only the current one of a long series of universes, and he’e are the only remnant of the previous universe. To top this impressive resume, octopuses are widely acknowledged to be the most intelligent of invertebrates, with both long and short term memory, and are masters of camouflage.