Hula-Instruments.com - Info on Hula instruments, carvings and Polynesian gifts
Title
Hula Instruments and Polynesian Gifts by Ika Vea
Description
Excerpted from the website:
- The beautiful, rich perfection of the hula is made more complete with sound. The lyrical chants of the Hawaiian language carry the story line of the dance, as hands and feet tell the tale in a language of their own. The first sound heard, however, heralding the entrance of the dancers, is the heart-thumping beat of the big pahu drum on which the kumu hula sets the tempo. The dancers often accompany themselves with hand-held instruments – the ‘uli ‘uli , a rattle made of small gourds with seeds or beads inside and a feather bedecked handle, covering the dancer’s hand; the pu‘ili, a pair of bamboo sticks, shredded at the ends to make a rustling, staccato noise when hit against each other; and the ipu , simply a gourd with the small end cut off to create a reverberation chamber inside.
