XVT.— THE HULA ILI-ILI 



The hula /Z/-/Z/, pobble-daiice, was a performance of the classical 

 times, ill which, according to one who has witnessed it, the olapa 

 alone took part. The dancers held in each hand a couple of pebbles, 

 ili-ili — hence the name of the dance — which they manag^ed to clash 

 against each other, after the fashion of castanets, thus producing a 

 rude music of much the same quality as that elicited from the 

 "■ bones " in our minstrel performances. According to another wit- 

 ness, the drum also was sometimes used in connection with the 

 pebbles as an accompaniment to this hula. 



The ili-ili was at times a hula of intensity — that is to say, was 

 acted Avith that stress of voice and manner which the Hawaiians 

 termed ai-ha'a; but it seems to have been more often performed in 

 that quiet natural tone of voice and of manner termed ko''i-honiia, 

 which may be likened to utterance in low relief. 



The author can j)i'esent only the fragment of a song to illustrate 

 this hula : 



Mcle 



A lalo maua o Wai-pi'o, 

 Ike i ka nani o Ili'i-lawe. 

 E la we mai a oki 

 I na hala o Naiie i ko kai. 

 5 I na loluia In-Uru pali ; 



Nolio ana lolie i ko kani o ka o-o, 

 Iloolono aku i ka loo o ko kahnli. 



fTriinsliition] 



SoiKJ 



We twain were lodged in Wai-pi'o, 

 Beheld lli'i-lawe, the grand. 

 Wo hronght and cut for onr lovo-wreath 

 Tho rioh hala drupo from Xauo's strand. 

 5 Tufted lohua that waves on tho cliff : 

 Then sat and gave oar to song of o-o. 

 Or harked the chirp of the tree-sholl. 



Wai-pi^o, the scene of this idyl, is a valley deep and broad which 

 the elemeYits have scooped out in the windward exposure of Hawaii, 

 and scarce needs mention to Hawaiian tourists. HiH-lawe is one of 

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