HAWAII
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LOOK AND LISTEN: (Click here for audio)
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This is an image of traditional Hawaiian weaving techniques, and the song you hear -Kawika: Hula Olopa- is a form of Hula, a Polynesian dance form developed in the Hawaiian islands. This quote helps us understand how these art forms help shape the culture they come from:
"We cannot weave without launiu [coconut palm leaves] or lauhala [pandanus leaves] or makaloa [sedge], or the aerial roots of the ‘ie‘ie [freycinetia]. We cannot practice our art without those plants. We are related to these plants. Our legends tell us that when certain of our plants disappear, we, too, will disappear." |
Image: “Carriers of Culture: Native Basketry in America” by C. Kurt Dewhurst, Marsha MacDowell, and Marjorie Hunt from 40th annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival, courtesy of Smithsonian Libraries. Used by permission.
Sound: "Kawika: Hula Olopa" by Anna Kahelelehua Hall from the recording Music of the World's Peoples: Vol. 5, FW04508, courtesy of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. (p) (c) 1961. Used by permission.
