Your free wallpaper of July shows Laka, the goddess of wild forests and of the Hula dance. It is said that Laka is the inspiration for the movements of the dancers. She’s associated with the Maile vine, one of the most sought after plants for making leis (it smells really nice too, a little like vanilla). The haku lei (head lei) you see here is depicting Maile leaves as well as leaves of the Lama tree, which is also associated with Laka. The hula was used by ancient Hawaiians as a way to record their history and pass it along to future generations and they worshipped Laka with every hula they danced.
