by Lucia Terallo, copyright 2019
Drums, let’s talk about drums. Did you know that drums were related to temple ceremony and ritual…it being the voice of Kunuiakea and those likened to that Element? Most within the hula realm was usually accompanied by the ‘Ipu Heke or other percussives…and only ceremonial dance was accompanied by the pahu…usually atop the temple or other sacred enclosures. Also, did you know that prior to 1819, before the Fall of the Kapu, all Ho’opa’a were male, mainly because only the men could deliver the ‘Amama at the end of the ritual…males being celestial and female being terriestrial, without one being higher or lower than the other. The drum was sacred and singular…not many in circulation, for it was a very singular male who beat it. After 1819…after Ka’ahumanu put a ban on hula…after Kauikeaouli tried to lift the ban and failed…after Kalakaua reintroduced his Hula Ku’i in full force…by that time the hula realm had adulterated beyond reconigition. All protocol dealing with hula and ha’a changed to suit the climate of the times or the lack of knowledge…or just plain because you were Christian…so today, anyone can drum…anyone can chant…anyone can dance hula…drums being manufactured by the hundreds to meet the demand…using stagnancy as an excuse, the foundation of the culture’s ‘ano no longer used as a guiding light toward progress…
Lucia Terallo is a historian and artist with a focus on pre-European-contact Hawaiian culture and arts.