The hula dance, once banned in 17th-century Hawaii, is performed by student dancers during the Hawaiian club’s 37th annual Lu’au. The evening featured live dancing, a Hawaiian buffet, and coconut shells for attendees that doubled as both glasses for punch and souvenirs. (Michael Arellano/Oregon Daily Emerald)
The EMU Ballroom was transformed Sunday night into a tropical paradise. Banana leaves and flowers decorated tables, purple and white banners bearing the names of Hawaii’s eight islands hung on the walls, and a crowd of about 350 people enjoyed pulled pork, pineapple and music entertainment. The Hui ‘O Hawai’i Club’s@@checked@@ 37th annual lu’au was in full swing.
The Hui ‘O Hawai’i Club seeks to provide a support and social group for students at the University, and it seeks to share the culture of Hawaii and other Polynesian islands with the campus and wider Eugene community. The club has put on an annual student-organized lu’au since 1975. According to lu’au assistant coordinator and University student Tani Saito, @@checked@@the lu’au offers audience members a true “trip to the islands” and celebrates Polynesian cultures — including Hawaii, Tahiti and New Zealand — that are sometimes misunderstood on the United States’ mainland.
Lu’au coordinator and junior history major Quinn Akina@@checked@@ agreed. “It’s a way to connect with the University community,” she said.
“I love the atmosphere,” club secretary and sophomore Kara Funakoshi@@checked@@ said of the lu’au. “For the students from Hawaii, it gives them a piece of home. And I think other students and the community members, for those who can’t afford to go to Hawaii, they can get a little bit of paradise here.”
The Duck flashes his Hawaiian side with a grass skirt and members of the Hui ‘O Hawai’i Club. (Michael Arellano/Oregon Daily Emerald)
In previous years, the lu’au has focused on different subjects, including Hawaiian cuisine and the eight different islands. This year’s theme celebrated “Na Lani ‘Eha”@@checked@@ — or The Royal Four — four 19th century royal Hawaiian siblings who were patrons of Hawaiian culture and who were talented musicians and composers: King David Kalakaua, Queen Lydia Lili’uokalani, Princess Miriam Likelike and Prince William Leleiohoku.@@names checked@@
To honor the “Na Lani ‘Eha,” the colors of royalty, lavender and beige, decorated the Ballroom. And food, music and dance all played a part in commemorating Pacific Island heritage during the lu’au, which ran from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Solidity, a Hawaiian reggae band from Oregon,@@checked@@ set the mood with laid-back island music during the first hour or so of mingling. The Duck showed up wearing a grass skirt, posing for pictures with lu’au attendees. Hapa Grill catered the dinner, which included Kalua pork and Lomi salmon, and Island Kine shaved ice in a multitude of flavors was available for purchase separately.@@checked@@
Every year at the lu’au, students perform different songs and dances, and this year the dances were an integral part of the celebration and the honoring of “Na Lani ‘Eha.” Hui ‘O Hawai’i Club started preparing for the lu’au as long ago as last spring, and student dancers have dedicated hours every weekend since February learning the dances.
“Some girls come with experience and some don’t,” Akina said. The time spent together is a bonding experience. “It becomes like a family.”
“It’s just fun to come out and dance with everybody,” freshman dancer Emma Oto-Pale@@checked@@ said.
All of the songs and dances commemorated the memories of “Na Lani ‘Eha.”
Hawaiian radio host Bigg Sexxy entertains the audience between dance performances during the the Hawaiian club’s 37th annual Lu’au. (Michael Arellano/Oregon Daily Emerald)
The first dance was Kahiko, an old-style hula accompanied by drums and a traditional chant.@@checked@@ Choreographed by Akina and Saito, the dance explored the continuous relationship between ocean, land and sky. Dancers imitated the fluidity of water and the push and pull of the elemental forces with their strong arm movements, measured steps and line formations. Dancers also held two stones in each hand, called ‘ili’ili,@@checked@@ and clicked them together throughout the dance to create rhythmic sounds.
The Kahiko style of hula was condemned as a heathen dance by American Protestant missionaries in the early 19th century and subsequently banned. It was only with the reign of King David Kalakaua (1874-1891) that the traditional art was encouraged and revived.
With the resurgence of the performing arts in the late 19th century, hula eventually evolved under Western influence into another form called Auana,@@checked@@ which is usually accompanied by guitar or ukelele. This type of hula was the second dance performed during the lu’au. Full of soft and graceful movements, the Auana dance was set to a medley of traditional Hawaiian love songs from the 1850s.
Six other dances were performed, including dances from New Zealand, Bora Bora and Tahiti.
Freshman Beau Acoba@@checked@@ was the only male dancer. He performed in the upbeat Ku’u Hoa@@checked@@ dance, hitting bamboo sticks called pu’ili together to keep up the tempo.@@checked@@
“I feel like I’m representing my island. So I thought, ‘Why not?’” he said of being a dancer. “If you’re proud to be from Hawaii, you might as well showcase it.”
