E HULA

Over the past few weeks, I made these two bamboo tables. Over the past 4-6 weeks, I was thinking everyday how to make them and what area I should go to harvest the bamboo. Now, that they are completed I’m very relieved. There’s a purpose and there’s a name for these tables. I won’t tell you the name but I will tell you the purpose for why these tables were made. They will be used for a kahiko performance my students and I will be doing shortly. Now, you must know the name of these, right?

Throughout my learning of hula from 1982 till now, these items were never used or talked about in our classes. As I became more interested in learning deeper things about hula, I learned about this table through some books but still didn’t have a connection to them. Later when I started uniki training to graduate olapa, hoopaa, then kumu, this table became more prevalent in our studies and it started my journey to have a better relationship with them. Our teacher Kawaikapu Hewett had one in his home at Olaa, Hawaii. One detail that I love about this table is that when you place fresh plants on them and when you take care of them with aloha, the plants are said and believed to stay fresh and green for a very long time. Aloha e Laka.

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