XIV.— THE HULA PUILI 



The character of a hula was determined to some extent by the na- 

 ture of the musical instrument that was its accompaniment. In the 

 hula p?//7^ it certainly seems as if one could discern the influence of 

 the rude, but effective, instrument that was its musical adjunct. "This 

 instrument, the putli (fig. 1), consisted of a section of bamboo from 

 which one node with its diaphragm had been removed and the hollow 

 joint at that end split up for a considerable distance into fine divi- 

 sions, which gave forth a breezy rustling when the instrument was 

 struck or shaken. 



The performers, all of them hoopaa, were often placed in two rows, 

 seated or kneeling and facing one another, thus favoring a responsive 

 action in the use of the puili as well as in the cantillation of the 

 song. One division would sometimes shake and brandish their instru- 

 ments, while the others remained quiet, or both divisions would per- 



FiG. 1. — PuIli, bamboo-rattle. 



form at once, each individual clashing one puili against the other one 

 held by himself, or against that of his vis-a-vis; or they might toss 

 them back and forth to each other, one bamboo passing another in 

 mid air. 



While the hula puili is undeniably a performance of classical an- 

 tiquity, it is not to be regarded as of great dignity or importance as 

 compared with many other hulas. Its character, like that of the 

 meles associated with it, is light and trivial. 



The mele next presented is by no means a modern production. It 

 seems to be the work of some unknown author, a fragment of folk- 

 lore, it might be called by some, that has drifted down to the present 

 generation and then been put to service in the hula. If hitherto the 

 word folkiore has not been used it is not from any prejudice against 

 it, but rather ft-om a feeling that there exists an inclination to stretch 

 the application of it beyond its true limits and to make it include 

 popular songs, stories, myths, and the like, regardless of its fitness of 

 application. Some writers, no doubt, would .apply this vague term 

 to a large part of the poetical pieces which are given in this book. 

 25352— Bull. 38—09 8 113 



