VIII.— COSTUME OF THE HULA DANCER 



The costume of the hula dancer was much the same for both sexes, 

 its chief article a simple short skirt about the waist, the pa-ii. (PL i.) 



When the time has come for a dance, the halau becomes one com- 

 mon dressing room. At a signal from the kumu the work begins. 

 The putting on of each article of costume is accompanied by a special 

 song. 



First come the ku-pe'e., anklets of whale teeth, bone, shell-work, 

 dog-teeth, fiber-stuffs, and what not. Wliile all stoop in unison they 

 chant the song of the anklet : 



Mele Ku-pe'e 



Aala kupukupu '^ ka uka o Kane-hoa.* 

 E ho-a ! '^ 



Hoa na lima o ka makani, be Wai-kaloa.<* 

 He Wai-kaloa kjj makani ami Liliue. 

 5 Alina ^ leliua 1 kaii ka opua — 

 Ku'u pua, 



Ku'u pua i'ini e ku-i a lei. 

 Ina ia oe ke lei 'a mai la. 



[Translation] 



Anklet-Song 



Fragrant the grasses of bigli Kane-hoa. 

 Bind on the anklets, bind ! 

 Bind with finger deft as the wind 

 That cools the air of this bower. 

 5 Lehvia bloom pales at my flower, 

 O sweetheart of mine, 



Bud that I'd pluck and wear in my wreath, 

 If thou wert but a flower ! 



The short skirt, pa-u^ was the most important piece of attire worn 

 by the Hawaiian female. As an article of daily wear it represented 

 many stages of evolution beyond the primitive fig-leaf, being fabri- 

 cated from a great variety of materials furnished by the garden of 



" Kupukupu. Said to be a fragrant grass. 



" Kane-hoa. Said to be a hill at Kaupo, Maui. Another person says it is a hill at 

 Llhue, on Oahu. The same name is often repeated. 



" H6-a. To bind. An instance of word-repetition, common in Hawaiian poetry. 



* Wai-kaloa. A cool wind that blows at Lihue, Kauai. 



* Alina. A scar, or other mark of disfigurement, a moral blemish. In ancient times 

 lovers inflicted Injuries on themselves to prove devotion. 



25352— Bull. 38—09 4 49 



