XXXIV.— THE HULA OHELO 



The hula ohelo was a very peculiar ancient dance, in which the 

 actors, of both sexes, took a position almost that of reclining, the 

 body supported horizontally by means of the hand and extended leg 

 of one side, in such a manner that flank and buttock did not rest upon 

 the floor, while the free leg and arm of the opposite side swung in 

 wide gestures, now as if describing the arch of heaven, or sweeping 

 the circle of the horizon, now held straight, now curved like a hook. 

 At times the company, acting in concert, would shift their base of 

 support from the right hand to the left hand, or vice versa. The 

 whole action, though fantastical, was conducted with modesty. 

 There was no instrumental accompaniment ; but while performing the 

 gymnastics above described the actors chanted the words of a mele 

 to some Old World tune, the melody and rhythm of which are lost. 



A peculiar feature of the training to which pupils were subjected 

 in preparation for this dance w^as to range them in a circle about a 

 large fire, their feet pointing to the hearth. The theory of this 

 practice was that the heat of the fire suppled the limbs and imparted 

 vivacity to the motions, on the same principle apparently as fire en- 

 ables one to bend into shape a crooked stick. The word kapuahi^ fire- 

 place, in the fourth line of the mele, is undoubtedly an allusion to 

 this practice. 



The fact that the climate of the islands, except in the mountains 

 and uplands, is rarely so cold as to make it necessary to gather 

 about a fire seems to argue that the custom of practising this dance 

 about a fireplace must have originated in some land of climate more 

 austere than Hawaii. 



It is safe to say that very few kumu-hulas have seen and many 

 have not even heard of the hula ohelo. The author has an authentic 

 account of its production at Ewa in the year 1856, its last perform- 

 ance, so far as he can learn, on the public stage. 



Mele 



1 



Kii oe ko'ii wahi ohelo nei la, auwe, auwe! 

 Maka'u au i kau mea nui wali-wali, wali-wali ! 

 Ke hoolewa nei, a lewa la, a lewa nei ! 

 Minomino, euaena ka ia la kapuahi, kapuahi ! 

 5 Nenea i ka la"i o Kona, o Kona, a o Kona ! 



Poliu malino i ke kai liawana-waua, hawana-wana ! 

 He makau na ka lawaia nui, a nui e, a nui la ! 

 Ke o-e nei ke alio o ka ipu-hololiolona, holoholona ! 



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