Preview
Creation Date
1905
Description
Hula is a traditional cultural practice in Hawaii. Hula is a ceremony that connects both the dancers and the audience to Hawaiian history, prophecy, genealogy, and culture. Pictured are four women performing Hula.
The two women sitting are playing traditional Hula instruments. On the left, a woman is playing the ipu. The ipu is made of two gourds, hollowed, & secured with breadfruit gum. Two sounds are produced: the first, a base tone, by stamping the bottom of the instrument against the ground. The second, a higher pitched sound, produced by slapping the larger gourd with an open palm and/or individual fingers.
On the right, another woman plays the ukulele. Ukulele is a Hawaiian word coined in the late 1800s. The most accepted interpretation of this name is “jumping flea,” describing the left-hand finger movements of an early virtuoso of the instrument.
All four women are dressed in traditional hula costume with their hair down. They are adorned in leis, encircling their heads and necks. These are often made of plants or other materials (shells, feathers, fibers etc.) that represent deities honored in dance.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Keywords
Hula, Ukulele, Ipu, Ceremonial, Leis, Honolulu, Hawaii
