Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 2, 1 February 2014 — Miles from home, the familiarity of hula beckons [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Miles from home, the familiarity of hula beckons

By Diamond Badajos We exchanged oli, I went first. Kūnihi ka mauna i ka la'i ē, 'o Wai 'ale 'ale lā i Wailua. My tongue felt tangled, what was onee familiar felt foreign. Huki a'ela i ka lani, ka papa auwai o Kawaikini. My anxieties built, what if she didn't let me in? Alai 'ia a'ela e Nounou nalo Kaipuha'a, ka laulā ma uka o Kapa 'a ē. I know I haven't done this is a

while but it can't be that bad, ean it? Mai pa 'a i ka leo, he 'ole ka hea mai ē. My toes pressed into the ground, bracing myself, I stopped, and listened. She answered. E hea i ke kanaka e komo ma loko. E hānai i ke kanaka e komo ma loko, e hānai 'ai a hen'a i ka waha, eia no ka uku la o ka leo, a he leo wale nō ē. had permission to enter the hālau. The wings of Hawaiian Airlines brought me to Eugene to study at the University of Oregon. My first time away from my 'ohana, homesickness crept in

and there was only so mueh a box of chocolate-covered macadamia nuts, li hing mui and moehi crunch could do for me. I was looking to reconnect culturally. My solution? Google "hālau." Island Arts and Kumu Iwalani popped up. The opportunity to meet another Kanaka 'Ōiwi was just a eliek away. I sent Kumu Iwalani an email. Feet tucked warmly in boots, round face hidden under a scarf and coat, hair twisted neatly in a bun, her fashion heeame function in the 50-degree cold. I caught a ride with Kumu Iwalani and we left for the hula practice. A little room in a recreation center serves as the hālau. In this cozy setting, about 10 hula dancers of various ages and skill levels meet for practice.

Eaeh dressed in their red pā'ū and Island Arts T-shirts, they circle up and chant E hō mai. Kumu Iwalani, whose family is originally from Waipahū, was born in California and has lived in Eugene for more than 20 years. The title of kumu hula was bestowed upon her when she had her 'ūniki after studying with Kumu Hula Kawaikapu Heweū. When deciding to open her own hālau, she says she "wanted a solid foundation in the hula. We're focused not just on 'auana but in kahiko and protocol." Island Arts was born out of the community's need for a dance that would provide a representation of hula that is reflective of its purpose and true to its composition. "It's my responsibility to bring it to the core. The essence is still there," says Kumu Iwalani. "It's not just a dance." Hula encourages cultural preservation. For those who are immersed in the dance, protocols and oli, hula is the essence of Hawai'i and the pahu is its heartbeat. Onee banned by missionaries because it went against their Christian morals, David Kalākaua revitalized hula and the arts during his reign because he saw them as repositories of Hawaiian knowledge. "There is no need to perpetuate the misconception," says Kumu

Diamond Badajos, originaIIy from Waipahū, is a Hawai'inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge graduate pursuing a master's degree i.n journaIism from the University of Oregon.

Iwalani. Her philosophy of dancing is not centered around entertainment, the elaborate costuming, theatrical music arrangements and scantly clad female dancers. And though there are those who are acquainted with the dance, there are still many who are unaware of its complexities. Hula kahiko educates and tells the story of who we are as Kānaka 'Ōiwi through the movements of the dancer's bodies. Dancers heeome ambassadors of Hawai'i, helping those removed from the Hawaiian community understand Hawaiian schools of thought. With hula comes a eultural responsibility. "When

practicing and studying hula in Hawai'i it's easier, it's a given," says Kumu Iwalani. For students who have little to no exposure to the dance, it is always important to remain humhle when learning kahiko. Layers of culture are revealed through the dances and the students must be ready to receive the message. "It's a process of learning," says Kumu Iwalani. "It's subjecting yourself to be humhle when practicing protocol." Remembering where we have eome from is key and hula has allowed people to learn about Hawai'i through the eyes of our ancestors. "It's strengthening your identity," Kumu Iwalani says. "Hula becomes a metaphor for how you hold yourself in society, the strength, the humility." With it are stories, and not stigmas, of who we are and who we will continue to be. Island Arts is a small pieee of a long lineage of hula and, after all these years, the reason for dancing remains the same. "The practice of kahiko brings you back to that," says Kumu Iwalani. "Hula is the vehicle and aloha is the message." ■

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Kumu Iwalani. - Courtesy photo