Halau Hula
Na Mohala Hāla`i
Scrapbook

Ikiiki|
May 2006

      The hot months have begun. Soon, the solstice will mark the turning point of the year. In ancient times, women gathered salt dried in depressions in sea-side rocks. This is still done in some families. Salt, an important commodity, was used in all phases of life, from rituals, to cooking, to food storage, to medicine. Salt from different areas is considered to have different properties. Some people can tell where salt was harvested by its flavor. The red ala`ea salt from Kaua`i is especially valued.

     We began this month with Lei Day, honoring this important part of Hawaiian culture with celebrations at schools, libraries, and other places, and culminating in the May Day Lei Day Festival at the Hilo Palace Theater. It was a real honor for our halau to participate. A huge mahalo to the Palace Theater staff, Board of Directors, especially President Quack, and all of the volunteers who always make our halau feel so welcome in that beautiful and historic venue! And a big mahalo to the staff for putting up with our bustling about each Wednesday and Thursday during practice!

     The ladies worked hard since January, attending classes two to three times per week, doing workshops, practicing their chants and hula, and making their costumes and lei. Finally, it all came together on May 7 at the Palace.

Left to Right: Pi`ikea, Kumu Leilehua, Kanoe, Meilani, Puakea, Malie, Minoaka.

         On May 6, Kumu, her husband Manu, and Minoaka went to AstroDay1K6. Hula sister Koa, Mauna Kea Ranger Kimo, Astro Scientist Ikaika, and Kumu Leilehua officiated the opening and closing protocols. AstroDay is a really special event which builds a bridge across the chasm we so often see between traditional and scientific culture. But, as the wisest of scientists point out, science is not a collection of facts, but a way of looking at the world. By that definition, pur Hawaiian ancestors WERE scientists - they were careful observers who finely categorized the things and events of the world around them, developed hypothesis, tested them, and refined them. Excellent agronomists, the ancient Hawaiian People created hundreds of specialized varieties of important plants. Supurb architects and aquaculturists, they developed the world's most complex - and efficient - aquaculture system. They not only bred and raised select species of fish, but cultivated sea weeds to feed them. AstroDay celebrates not only modern astronomy, but the cultures from which it derives. So, watch the AstroDay site and as soon as AstroDay 2K7 is announced, mark it in your calendar. 

Click image for website

Christmas 2001, dancing hula at the community Christmas festival in Holualoa. Good fun evening with many local entertainers. Jesse Colin Young played as Leilehua danced. They also sang a duet for Silent Night, with Jesse taking the English lyrics and Leilehua singing the Hawaiian.

Hula as Exercise

     The hula is an ideal exercise. Generally, especially in beginning classes, it is low impact and provides both aerobic and anaerobic exercise.Simply holding the ha`a, the basic stance, is good isometric exercise. But, no matter how good for the body an exercise plan is, it is useless if the person does not follow it. Many studies that people will stick more closely to exercise routines they enjoy. If you enjoy dance and Hawaiian culture, then there is a good chance you will enjoy the hula.