What did ʻAnakē Pua do as she entered the forest and as she finished her lesson?
Why do hula dancers adorn themselves with flowers, leaves, and vines from the forest?
Do you ever go to the forest to pick flowers or plants to make lei? How can you show proper respect for the forests—the realm of Laka?
ʻAnakē Pua describes the meaning of the kuahu, or altar. What is similar about the kuahu and the clothing and adornments ʻAnakē Pua is wearing? What is different?
What type of feeling do you have when ʻAnakē Pua is chanting? How are you supposed to behave when someone is chanting or performing Hawaiian protocol?
ʻAnakē Pua says Laka is the queen of the forest, the spirit of hula, the creator of movement. Draw or paint a picture that incorporates these images.
E Laka, e hoʻoulu ʻia.
Think about how you felt right before your last performance or big game. Were you nervous and fearful? Or were you calm and sure that everything would go well? If you felt confident and in sync, and if the performance was awesome, then in a way, you have experienced a little bit of what Laka means to a hula dancer.
Laka is the goddess of hula. A hula dancer prays to Laka to hoʻoulu, or inspire her for a performance. The dancer and Laka become one in the dance. The dancer is the body—that which is moved. Laka is the inspiration—that which causes movement. Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui says that Laka “ . . . is dancing through the dancer.” She explains the term “hoʻoulu ʻia” as a “surge of strength and control that gets a job finished. That turns an acceptable bit of work into a superior one.” Laka is what inspires the dancer to a better performance.
What are Laka’s names and forms?
Mele for Laka address her in different names. In those mele, she is known as Alalalahe, ʻAlohi, Aloha, or Kaulanaʻula.
E Laka ē, hoʻoulu ʻia. O Laka, inspire us.
Laka is also a goddess of the forest. She is reproductive energy. She makes the forest grow and thrive. When going to the forest, we ask Laka for permission to enter. Her kinolau are the ʻaʻaliʻi plant (Dodonaea spp.), the lama tree (Diospyros sandwicensis), and the maile vine (Alyxia oliviformis).
Laka’s kinolau are very important for the kuahu, or the hula altar.
Hula kuahu, or training in sacred hula, takes place in a hālau hula. At one end of the hālau is a kuahu, or altar, which is used for religious ceremony. A hula dancer in training is dedicated to Laka. There are many kapu—rules that must be followed—in this style of training. The kapu help to keep the student focused so she can learn quickly and learn well.
What is Laka’s role in hula kuahu?
The kuahu in the hālau is decorated with plants that are important to hula. It serves as a temporary home for Laka. It is customary to find the following plants adorning the kuahu: maile, ʻōhiʻa lehua, halapepe, ʻieʻie, ʻōhiʻa ʻai, kokiʻo, hau, maiʻa, kī, ʻilima, palapalai, and lama. Having these forest plants on the kuahu is symbolic of the growth that the hula dancer is seeking.
E Laka i nā mea a pau. O Laka, giver of all things.
For some, the condition of the plants on the kuahu is indicative of the success or failure of the training. By observing the rules, keeping negative thoughts and feelings outside the hālau, and dedicating oneself to learning, the greenery should remain fresh throughout the training period. If the plants wilt or turn brown, it may signal that the learning is not happening the way it should.
Kapo is mentioned in certain moʻokūʻauhau, or genealogies, as an older sister of Pele. She arrived in Hawaiʻi before Pele, and took up residence at Kāʻana on the west side of Molokaʻi, where she established the first school for teaching hula. Kapo is also known as an akua wahine invoked in sorcery.
What’s the connection with Laka?
What does Laka mean to us today?
Laka gives us many haʻawina (lessons) to think about and learn from. We must show respect and ask for entrance into the forest, which is Laka’s realm. We seek permission to pick the plants of her forest. The dual nature of Kapo–Laka reminds us to be committed and diligent in our work. And Laka, the inspiring force of hula, teaches us that truly great performance is the result of the dancer possessing the discipline, emotion, and joy of the dance.