To the right we see a image of a hula dancer that is compatible with the image of the hula as it has been packaged for consumption by the mainstream media and for the tourist trade in Hawaii.

How beautiful and gentile she seems and how much the antithesis of the traditional hula warrior maiden. As mentioned several posts ago The Green Man was fortunate enough to attend a concert that was the closing celebration for the WIPCE (world indigenous peoples conference on education) and, as part of this conference, many of the attendees performed. These people however were not interested in packaging their culture for the consumption of the tourist trade. They were interested in the preservation of elements of their cultures as they existed prior to contamination by the west.

There were performances by plains indians from North America, Sammi from Norway, Australian Aboriginals and a huge contingent from the Pacific Islands and of all these fascinating performances The Green Man found the Hula from Hawaii the most intriguing and captivating, not the least because it was so much at odds with the image of the Hula that has been fed to the west by the mass media.

The first and perhaps the most important thing to note is that the Hula was not intended for entertainment. It was a manifestation of the spiritual and social structure of the Hawaians and the ones who performed it were not cute post-pudescent teenage girls with carefully groomed hair and nails. It was performed by shamans and warriors, both men and women.

These men and women were powerful and ferocious and the performance was intended to display their commitment to their land and their culture. The concept of someone being entertained by their performance was the furthest from their minds. And so it was with the Hula performers that performed at the WIPCE closing conference.

There are few performances that can match the Haka for emotional intensity and ferociousness but a traditional Hula is one.

oohh and Happy New Year, whilst remembering that happiness is not a destination but a mode of travel.