I read an e-mail asking:
"Would I be out of place attending? I am not Hawaiian or Polynesian, but I love
slack key guitar and all things Hawaiian / Polynesian. Would it be "ok" if I came solo?
Unfortunately, I didn't check my e-mail until after the E Hula
Mau weekend, and I replied anyway:
No, I don't think you'd feel out of place at all. And it would be very "ok" to come solo. Had we known, my
husband and I would have met you at our favorite E Hula Mau
booth, Kama`âina Distributors.
Yes, I do believe that this is as Hawaiian as it gets on the mainland (a lot of kanaka maoli concentrated in
one space), but being so Hawaiian, many actually do practice and live their Hawaiian values, including Aloha
and thus openly welcome those who come with an open heart and respect for our culture.
My husband and I sat -- for three days of the competition -- next to a man who came solo. He had learned
about the competition via a flyer at Hilo Hattie's (a Hawaiian retail store in Orange County, CA), and decided
to "give it a try" since it was close by to the Long Beach Aquarium, where he did volunteer work.
Clearly, he was "oh, so very new" to all of it. At first, he was openly partial to one group -- that happened to be
performing at Hilo Hattie's when he was there -- and was being "adversarial" and disparaging to the
"competition", as one might be as a spectator at a Lakers-Celtics game.
It is very un-Hawaiian to namunamu -- make critical running commentaries -- during a
performance. The Hawaiian way is to listen, watch, and shut the mouth.
Just as we were beginning to feel uncomfortable about it, MC Charles Ka`upu picked up on the murmuring and perhaps, the vibes, and instructed the audience as to the
Hawaiian way of being an audience: "If you have a negative opinion about
anything, take it home with you."
Or, as we say at home, "If you no mo' nutteeng nice fo' say, no say nutteeng" -- if you have nothing nice to say,
say nothing.
Well, Charles' eloquent comment instantly halted this man's namunamu. Once he learned the
Hawaiian way, he respected and abided by it.
At the intermission, he asked me a slew of questions about the differences between the ancient and the modern hula, the dress ("Why would that lady dance with heels?"),
the movements ("Is that knee jerk movement new?"), the meaning of words ("Hana hou?"), and I answered
them as best as I could.
I could see by his questions that he had been won over completely by the hula.
However, when the awards were being announced that first night, he reverted to a non-Hawaiian way, this
time, disparaging the judges for not seeing that "his group" was clearly the winner in many categories --
much as umpires are often boo'ed at a ball game.
The next day, before the show began, I gave him a brief background overview of each judge, so he would
might know that they are respected individuals who are among the best in their fields, capable of seeing
nuances and discerning qualitative differences that untrained eyes could never see.
As esteemed judges, Nona Beamer, Frank Kawaikapuo Hewett, `Akoni Akana, Kaliko Beamer Trapp, Bill Char and Euphemia
Nagashima, deserved our respect and QUIET confidence in their choices.
And the rest of the two days went by most pleasantly, and I do believe this new hula aficionado's enjoyment
grew greater and greater, as he adopted a whole new attitude of le`ale`a (light-hearted fun).
When the last
night's awards were being given, he was beaming from ear to ear, without a mote of adversarial "attitude,"
genuinely happy for any and all of the winners.
Talking about eyes, at the end of three days, I was to learn that our new friend is inexorably losing his sight to
diabetes. His vision is already limited, and as close as we were to the stage in Row 8, he was unable to see
beyond mere forms. No facial features.
Reflecting, I garner some comfort: before it was
too late, he was there this Labor Day weekend and was still able to behold the
stunning beauty of the
hula. Among his last most vivid visual experiences was this hula
competition.
I hope he'll be there next year as he said he would, hopefully with binoculars or opera glasses
to help him see details
beyond moving forms. Yet, I feel assured that whatever life brings him, he learned to enjoy the hula ... with his
heart.
We hope to see you at E Hula Mau next year. And be sure to get your tickets early as we did. We have since
learned that the competition ended up being completely sold out.
Me ke Aloha, Aunty D
