On Wed, Jun 8, 2011 at 8:02 AM,
Aloha,
"Aloha,Mahalo for your newsletter! I have a small hula studio in California and have a question about students dancing kahiko chants. It concerns students that are Jehovah Witness and their reluctance to dance to songs about Pele. How do you handle students with those concerns? I want them to learn the dances but not to go against their beliefs. I’d appreciate whatever light you can shed as to this troubling situation."
Aloha,
Its a great question and for some hula teachers a problem...
Its not a question or problem for me...Its a problem for the student.
I have had students who refuse to dance Pele dances. They are no longer part of our halau.
If a student comes to me with that dilemma, I show them the door. and if they continue to come to class, every mele will be about Pele.
I refuse to not teach the dances of our ancestors and push our students to find a way to accept that part of our cultural heritage. I find it strange and disrespectful to our Hawaiian culture that some churches have included "christian hula" in their worship services. Hula was the first thing that the churches banned when they came to Hawai'i in 1820, then they went about banning our Hawaiian language in the schools. and now, its ok for them to take that part of our cultural heritage and appropriate it for the promotion of their own agenda.
You don't get to appropriate parts of our cultural practices and adapt and change it to serve your own needs...
I have also been confronted by some people about this. I was Hawaiian when I was conceived, before I became an American when I was born, and before I was baptized at the age of 8 and became Christian. I don't have a problem and if god wanted everyone to worship and speak and be raised the same way then you would all be Hawaiians...
So let's embrace our cultural diversity, and religious choices, because it is a choice and create a better world for our future generations who are kind to each other, malama one another, the earth and the natural and cultural resources that we all need to survive as a people.
Well said aunty Vicky!! I agree with you.
ReplyDeleteMahalo Sophia! If we can just be kind and patient with each other the world would be a better place....
ReplyDeleteMuch appreciation for your response to a question that keeps coming up in one form or another.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of when I was studying western music at UH Manoa many years ago. Much of western music was composed in the service of the Catholic Church so I still remember the words to most of the Latin mass that so many composers set to music in so many varied and wonderful ways. We also studied the church music of Lutheran composers, particularly Johann Sebastian Bach. Lutherans, if you recall, had a big problem with Catholics (and vice versa to be sure) and those theological differences translated to musical differences also.
Later on, I played Reggae music with a bunch of musicians from the Caribbean. Many of the songs were nothing short of Rastafarian hymns and there is no way to understand Reggae without a love and appreciation of the varied theological aspects of Rastafarianism -- without being Rastafarian at some deep internal level. (And I’m not talking about just pakalolo!)
I still tell people that musically speaking, I am a devout Catholic/Lutheran/Rastafarian, yet I am none of these by religious doctrine. My studies weren’t anthropological outings. I thought I was studying music, but what I was really doing was drawing closer to a clear understanding of people and myself. Through music I came closer to brothers and sisters around the world (including Europeans of so many centuries ago) and their hopes and fears, their joys and sorrows. Bringing people together without resort to doctrine is the power of music, dance, and all the arts.
One heart,
Doug
P.S. Mahalo also to KeAla Olino-Hawaii for bringing your post to wider attention by posting at Facebook.
❤️❤️❤️
DeleteThis is a question that is always asked to me.
ReplyDeleteI am a Christian and a teacher of hula. I have had many ask me about being a Christian and teaching chants about Pele and the other Hawaiian Deity's. I do not have a problem teaching my students these chants because it is part of my Hawaiian culture. I have great respect honor these mele. I do not worship these god's.
There is a difference. My praise and glory goes to Ke Akua mana loa. Our Heavenly Father.
I also perform at church for certain occasions doing our cultural chants and mele. If you research, our chants of old have a lot of spiritual connotations in them. We've done many of these chants in hula competitions that talked about repentance, surrender and forgiveness. We perform these same chants at our church services to deliver the messages that were passed down to us by our kupuna. Where do you think they learned these messages?
I am honored to be chosen to continue the teaching of our Hawaiian culture and be a Christian at the same time.
Mahalo- Chinky Mahoe
Kumu Vicky, Mahalo Nui Loa. Aloha Denyse
ReplyDeleteChinky--- you do not worship these gods but you teach about them and honor and respect them? That is the stupidist thing I've ever heard, you honor them but u dnt worship them??? Okkkk , thought those 2 went together but okkkkk
ReplyDeleteAloha Thomas. There is a difference between honoring/respecting and worshiping. Believe it or not you can honor and respect something without religious veneration. Kumu Hula are far more than just teachers of dance. At their core they are historians; they are walking catalogs of cultural practices. As a historian and a teacher it's their job to share with their students OUR history and that means the stories and dances that accompany them. Pele, Kamapua'a, Kane, Laka, Hi'iaka are all deities from old Hawaii, but what's more, they are intrinsically woven into our History. Even though our stories include these deities it's important to look beyond "who is talking to who" in the story and focus on the context. These stories of OUR history are the keepers of innate indigenous knowledge. Through the stories we are able to ascertain life lessons. Believer it or not, Hawaiians knew a thing or two about geology, astronomy, biology and botany long before the arrival of the first foreigner. We are proud and resilient people. At a young age we are taught to respect our elders and take care of our family; know where you come from and show reverence to your history. I get that this may seem like the stupidest thing you've ever heard, but clearly it's because you don't have an understanding about what we are talking about. It's a foreign concept and I get it, I too don't understand certain things and they seems strange to me. However I was raised not to bash on ignorance but to educate. So I hope you have a slightly broader grasp of why we do what we do. If not, ask someone. Most Hawaiians would rather deal with an inquisition rather than a closed off mind. Take care and AlohaAlways!!
Delete--Konakaipo
Best response ever!!! Konakaipo, your makua have taught you well! Your response speaks volumes! Continue to educate with aloha. Ke Akua pu
Delete-Wai
Thomas so maha'oi. She said she honored the mele. She's honoring the Kupuna and the culture. One can do that. From the context of your comment you did not read that clearly.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, it is better to let the students abstain from what violates their conscience than to kick them out of the hālau. Tolerance, like friendship, goes both ways.
ReplyDeleteIf you go to a "how to grill steak" class then say you're offended and won't participate because you're vegan, what was the point in even being there? This is hula, and hula is Hawaiian not Christian. There is a proper context for almost everything, so if you want to honor God, go church. If a student can't honor the cultural kuleana of hula, they shouldn't be in hula class. Maika'i, Aunty Vicky.
ReplyDeleteAloha mai,
ReplyDeleteWhen teaching Pele chants and dances we honor and respect them For the fact that they are our ancestors. We have genealogical ties to each of the dieties. If a church encourages or supports each family to know, understand, and honor their ancestors, then Why shouldnt we continue to do our mea kahiko. Our opio learn this and they understand that this is important For their own identity and it helps them honor and respect their Family. Our culture is evolving. Im Now hearing prayers calling out Ke Akua, Nā ʻAumākua, Nā Kūpuna, a me Ka ʻohana. Beautiful.
Aloha nui,
Naauao
Find it strange is putting it nicely. If your going to learn about another culture you can not pick and choose what you like about it. It's not just dancing it's so much more. Accept it all or take up line dancing.
ReplyDeleteYou are sweet though to consider there feelings. Just my opinion though lol
I remember volunteering with PA'I foundation for MAMO a couple years, and as they were clearing up and making ready for halau practice, some would be friendly encouraging me to join, but at the time, as a Jehovah's Witness, I would politely decline and be general stating my beliefs, if someone would ask. No disrespect, no negativity, because my understanding of what being a Christian prevented my conscience from partaking because I knew from past experiences what hula includes. It's how Christian and how Hawaiian people want to take it--on both sides of this matter. I think the main misunderstanding is a lack of preset boundaries. If people effectively communicate where they stand then other people know how far to go. Some--not all--people who know about hula know what to expect--there's going to be songs about gods. Laka made the hula. She is a god. The context of the question is California. If a halau is up front about it from the beginning what their policy is, it's not a hard decision for someone who has reservations about it to reconsider. I know hula is a religion for some, not just a way to exercise or be social. I know this because I live in Hawaii and my mom used to dance in a Halau (Aunty Kapu Kimimaka was her hula sister in the 60's). Do the people in California know that when they sign up? Is it being advertised or introduced as a more secular activity to those in the mainland or are they concealing religious aspects in hopes of just appealing to newcomers superficial reasons for joining? Also, perhaps those Jehovah's Witnesses should look into what they really do believe before taking on other endeavors and assess whether it lines up with what their focus should be. To facilitate this it all starts with clear boundaries.
ReplyDeleteIf you seek to join a halau, it is your responsibility to find the proper kumu for your needs. Much of halau hula begins by teacing the traditions and culture that stems back into antiquity.
ReplyDeleteIf one is looking to lean hapa haole songs then one should find a teacher whose focus is there. You don't just pick a kumu on line and show up. JThere was a time when you had to be referred, 'ohana or introduced to the kumu to see if you were acceptable. Today, to be a kumu, it is necessary to allow all those interested to join. I was forunate to have been selected to join a halau and being honored withh the priviledge of teaching if I chose to do so.
Americans show respect and honor by building statues of famous men worthy of admiration. We made statues, (ki'i, tiki) to do the same.It does not mean you worship the statues or the men they represent any more than some of us worship Kane Ku or Pele. Respect the our culture in its entirety, not pick and choose what is convenient. Mahalo
All streams lead to one ocean.
ReplyDeleteImmersing oneself in our culture enables all cultures to live❣️
I hear this message all the time. I love Hawaiian culture because it led me home❣️
And home is where the♥️Heart resides.
If through my teaching you to love your own culture through my Hawaiian culture&all that it entails...
Than I have done my kūleana❣️
Stay Pono.