The "Heart" of Hawaii

[Midnightmom]

This is for you, @Mt_Rider

I know you just got back from Hawaii, and thought that you might enjoy this vid - and possibly answer a question? Do you know why they wear such poofy "clothing" around their loins???

 

 

[Littlesister]

Yes, Mt. Rider will love it.  Thanks, MNM, I enjoyed it. 

[Mt_Rider]

Thanks, MM!  The Merry Monarch Festival is huge every year.  It's named for the last male monarch David Kalakaua (2nd 'a' is elongated).  He was called that esp on his world tour.  Loved music and dance.  He brought the nation of Hawai'i  (for better and/or worse) into the world scene.  His sister Lili'uokalani was queen after his death and was in the unfortunate position of being forced by the military of 3 (?) governments, to give the nation to the United States.  Other choices were England and ?France?  Many of the Hawaiian people did not really wish to become the 50th state decades later.  Many really do not like how other customs and peoples have crowded out the Hawaiian people and culture.  Hula was banned for a while.  Not too surprising with the English missionaries from the ? 1800's seeing all that flesh flashing about.    But in today's world, one sees all that on the sunny beaches everywhere.  The culture of Hawai'i made a come back when hotels began to feature hula and Hawaiian foods at their "luau"   ...

 

Hmm...there is no "s" to make Hawaiian words plural.  Rather, it's done with "na" (which has a line over the "a"  to indicate elongated sound).  The next word after that "na" is plural. 

 

.... unfortunately, the hula done for tourists initially became more like a Las Vegas show with brilliantly colored plastic "leaves" etc.  In the recent decades, even the tourists have come to appreciate a more "authentic" show.  The leaves and flowers are picked fresh and "sewn" into lei for head, neck, wrist, ankle.  Endless variety.  New patterns are always being created.  (our DD2 sews most for their store.  Time consuming!  The lei draped over the neck of graduates can be so many than the kid can barely see - let alone breathe thru all of the well-wishes they receive that night.  Some can be dried and kept for memento.  Some are kukui nut (very dark brown and polished) especially for males.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalākaua

 

 

 

 

The cloth would have been kapa....which is (I hope I'm accurate) the inner bark of a tree (forgot which).  Beaten to expand it.  They have flat sticks with designs carved into it for printing those designs with dyes onto the kapa cloth.  Still done today but with modern woven cloth.  Real kapa was more like beaten felt; not woven cloth.  That's why the ever-producing plant leaves/flowers were used.  They didn't have a critter like goat/sheep for the long thread to spin/weave. 

 

As for the big poufy wraps that the men are wearing in this hula.... I couldn't find an answer.  So far....?

 

MtRider   

[Jeepers]

I had a best friend when we were In the Air Force and living in Texas. We were pregnant at the same time. She and her husband were both native Hawaiian. She said her lineage was from royalty and her family disowned her when she married her "beach bum" husband. She was also an extra dancer in Elvis' Blue Hawaii movie. She went by Lu but I never knew her full name. Her husband was named Kane pronounced Connie. Last name was Kamai (sp.) We stayed in contact for a long time until life got in the way and we got over seas duty. 

[Midnightmom]

16 hours ago, Mt_Rider said:

His sister Lili'uokalani was queen after his death and was in the unfortunate position of being forced by the military of 3 (?) governments, to give the nation to the United States.  Other choices were England and ?France?  Many of the Hawaiian people did not really wish to become the 50th state decades later. 

 

I learned about that several years ago when I visited Hawaii. The "Red Hat" group that I was visiting with attended a presentation at the Palace partially about that history. I was quite surprised to learn about it, and about how the Princess was treated when she came to the mainland to visit DC. 

WW2 caused a lot of geopolitical changes to the world. 

[Littlesister]

Hawaii does have a very interesting culture. I really like it.