My mother is a sucker for any kind of story a salesperson will give her. A woman told her about this necklace - and my mother ate up every word. She also thought it was pretty and something Mrs. Small would wear. Apparently, it is from Hawaii (I think the lady just picked the furthest state from Ohio) and it is kinda neat looking, but we don’t know if it has a meaning. The symbol on the necklace looks a bit like a T that is slanted so the top goes slightly uphill toward the right, and there is another line off to the left. I drew a somewhat close picture in Paint and put it here. I assume it means little more than some woman painted it on a bead and sold it to my mother with an authentic sounding story.
It looks like a mirror image of the Chinese character for under. I’m tempted to go with your theory that it’s just a story thrown in to get a sale. The Chinese character, of cousre, would be a couple of degrees more upright than the one you painted.
My guess is that finding out what it really means is probably going to end in disappointment, either way. There are times when it pays to be critical and inquisitive, and this doesn’t strike me as one of those times.
I’m from Hawaii, and it doesn’t ring any bells. Hawaiian did not have a written form until the missionaries arrived in the 19th century (and when one was developed it was in Roman characters), so it can’t be “Hawaiian text” or anything. Nor does it match any Hawaiian art I’ve seen, though admittedly my exposure to such art is limited and dated at least 20 years.
The traditional Hawaiian jewelry I’ve seen has not had symbols like this; it’s mostly stuff made out of natural materials, like shells, feathers, and rough, natural stones.
Native Hawaiians do not tend to pimp out their culture by making Native Hawaiian merchandise; most of the stuff sold in Hawaii is generic Polynesian. So if that is the way it was presented to your mom, your suspicions are probably correct.
