Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 8, Number 5, 1 May 1991 — Symbols depict "Moloka ʻi Ka Hula Piko" [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Symbols depict "Moloka ʻi Ka Hula Piko"

When Laka died, her remains were secretly hidden somewhere beneath the hill, Puu Nana. The hula was finallv established, the work of

Laka was complete, and the dance flourished throughout Hawai'i. Moloka'i was praised as "Moloka'i Ka Hula Piko," Moloka'i the center of the dance. This design uses traditional Hawaiian motifs to depict the essence of the saying, "Moloka'i Ka Hula Piko."

To the early Hawaiians the moo were a symbol of spirituality and good future. The central design depicts this spiritual continuity by the lizards arranged in a circle. The triangular design depicts a Hawaiian value called "lokahi," whieh is symbolic of a balance between man, nature, and God. The petroglyphs within the triangle depict a man and woman in dance. In the uppermost part of the triangle is a rising sun with a dot in the center symbolizing the piko of the hula. Beneath the circle at the bottom of the design, is a motif depicting water. At the top, the row of triangles depicts fire. In the real world, waterand fire are the two elements that cannot be mixed, but the spiritual essence of these elements mix in the hula. The ancient knmu hula nf Mnlnka'i

stressed to their students that they should dance with the fluidity of water and with the spark of fire. The middle design, rows of diamonds, was called by the Hawaiians "na maka ke akua," or, "eyes of the gods." Eyes are symbolic of the past, because your ancestors look upon you and guide you in this life. Eyes also represent the living, as we look back upon the paths of our ancestors for inspiration and guidance. The hula provides a means for us to look back to the works of our ancestors through the movements, motions,and chants of the hula. Above the "na maka ke akua" design are ferns representing the greenery wom by the dancers and below is the half-circle-point motif representing the rays of the sun rising in the east. To the early Hawaiians, the rising sun was symbolic of constant renewal and rebirth in the hula.

bv John Kaimikaua