Traditional Hawaiian hula dancers from as far away as New Mexico, New York and British Columbia, as well as local troupes, will “Ho`ike” (show what they learned) when they take the stage at the Ho`ike and Hawaiian Festival in Vancouver’s Esther Short Park.

Haumana (hula students) will perform songs and dances learned from visiting hula teachers, or kuma hula, at the Hula and Craft Workshop, held earlier in the week.

While feasting their eyes on these dancers’ supple, exacting hula movements, enthusiasts can partake of traditional treats such as succulent kalua roast pig and Hawaiian shave ice. Other dishes include chicken hekka, an Asian stir fry with heaps of carrot, onion, bamboo shoots and mushrooms served over delicate rice noodles; laulau, a combination of pork and cod or chicken and cod; lemon chicken, teriyaki pork and rice, and macaroni salad.

Along with the food and dancing, there will be cultural activities and crafts that children can participate in, including making their own leis, at the Keiki Korner.

Hula devotees, including festival co-organizer Martha Drum, say hula dancing captures the essence and spirit of Hawaii. The heart of hula dancing is poetic text, referred to as mele.

“The words of the mele are the all-important basis of the dance,” Drum said in an e-mail. “The dancer interprets the words with hand movements, gestures, and movement of other parts of the body.

“  ‘Keep your eyes on the hands’ is a line from a modern song, because the hands tell the story.”

The dancers’ movements depict different facets of nature or life, including plants, trees, war, wind, fire and water. Rhythmic chanting also helps narrate.

Drum said that a movement toward authenticity in the Hawaiian hula community in the past few decades transcends the popular depictions of pretty girls undulating in grass skirts and bikini tops.

“The hula you will see on stage at the Ho`ike will probably bear little resemblance at all to the stereotype,” Drum said. “The resurgence of pride in the language, and in the hula and chanting and drumming arts has almost completely erased the ‘coco-bra’ stereotype. 

“That said, there’s now a revival in what is called the hapa-haole (half Hawaiian, half white) art form, which does incorporate cellophane skirts and coco-bras as costumes,” she added. “The dancers, chanters, drummers, and other musicians that will perform at the Ho`ike are all proud to be presenting the most authentic hula and mele that they know how.”

Deva Yamashiro, who runs the arts portion of the festival and the Kaleinani o ke Kukui Hula Halau (school), uses the Ho`ike to promote and preserve Hawaiian cultural traditions. Yamashiro’s son, Kaloku Holt, will perform with his group Kaloku and Friends to finish off the show.

Other performers include Kauhane School of Polynesian Dance from Maple Ridge, British Columbia. That group will offer both kahiko (ancient) and `auana (modern) styles of dance. Hula students typically learn language, culture, and history as an integral part of their dance lessons.

Other performers

Also performing are the Eagle Spirit Native Dancers, a group of Native American dancers from a number of Indian tribes, and Elements of Paradise, a group of children from Guam who will share their culture by performing a variety of traditional chants.

Yamashiro said the festival, now in its sixth year, is continuing to grow, but organizers will keep the program much the same as it was in 2007.

Hawaiians have been a cultural presence in the Vancouver area since its founding in the late 1700s. British and American fur traders hired Hawaiians, known as strong sailors, to work aboard their ships.

By 1844, between 300 and 400 Hawaiians were employed along the Columbia River, with many of the workers living between Fort Vancouver and present-day Interstate 5.