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A Brief History Of The Luau
Birth of a tradition
A luau is a huge party, overflowing with food, music, song, and dance. Back in
the old days of Hawaii, when royals and commoners -- as well as men and women --
ate their meals apart, the tradition was called "aha-aina" (gathering for a
meal). In 1819, King Kamehameha II abolished the customs that separated the
people at mealtimes, allowing the creation of a new shared meal, the luau. Named
after a special dish of chicken cooked in coconut milk, this festive occasion
came to mark a variety of events, including births, first birthdays, and
marriages. The old luau feasts were eaten on the ground, spread out on a floor
of woven mats with a centerpiece made of flowers, ti leaves, and ferns. Food of
all kinds, from roast pork and chicken to pineapple, poi, sweet potatoes, and
fresh island fish, made each luau feast a meal fit for a king. Dancing, singing,
and music rounded out the affair.
Live entertainment, great food, the works!
Today, luaus are served on tables piled high with all types of food -- not just
native dishes, but also foods that arrived with the peoples who make Hawaii such
a melting-pot culture. You'll find it all, from tasty poi and taro rolls to
American favorites like macaroni salad and chocolate cake. (Be sure to try the
haupia, the coconut pudding served as dessert.) The entertainment hasn't changed
much, but there's more of it than ever. You'll see native hula and other
Polynesian dances demonstrated by skilled performers, along with chanting,
modern and traditional music, and even the fiery twirl of the Samoan fire knife
dance!
"We're going to a hukilau, where the laulau is the kaukau at the big
luau..."
As you can see by this line from a popular Hawaiian tune, it's helpful to
know the meanings of a few Hawaiian words.
Although only a few people speak Hawaiian, many Hawaiian words and pidgin
(Hawaiian slang) are used in everyday speech.
There are only 13 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet: A, E, H, I K, L, M,
N, O, P, U and W. And 18 sounds a, e, i, o, u, ä, ë, ï, ö, ü, h, k, l, m, n,
p, w, and w with a v sound. The 'okina (') is a glottal stop like the sound
between the ohs in "oh-oh" and is also a consonant. In order to clarify
pronunciation, you will often see the glottal stop ( ' ) or 'okina and
macron used on words such as Hawai'i.
Here's a short and handy glossary of some of the words you're likely to
come across on a trip to Hawaii.
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A
'aina
- land, earth
a'a
-
sharp lava
ali'i
- Hawaiian royalty
akamai
- smart, intelligent
aloha - greeting used to say hello or goodbye.
Aloha can also mean love.
H
halau
- hula troupe
hale - house or home
hana - work, bay
haole - foreigner, Caucasian
hapa - portion or part, mix of races, such as
hapa-haole
hau`oli
- happy
heiau - ancient Hawaiian religious temple on a
raised base of lava rocks
hoku
- star
holoholo
- to walk or travel for fun
honu
- turtle
ho`okipa
- hospitality
hu hu
- angry, agitated
hui - group or organization
hula - Hawaiian form of communication using dance
huli - turn
Humuhumunukunukuapua'a
- our State Fish, the
Hawaiian triggerfish
I
imu
- underground pit oven used for cooking luau
K
kahiko
- traditional, old, ancient
kahuna
- Hawaiian priest
kai
- ocean, salt water
kala
- dollar, money
kama`aina
- native-Hawaiian or long-time resident
kanaka
- man, human
kane - man
kapu - forbidden, sacred
kupuna
- respected elder
kupunakane
- grandfather
kupunawahine
- grandmother
kau kau
- food
kui - to string a lei
kolohe
- rascal
ku`uipo
- sweetheart
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L
lanai
- porch, veranda
lani - heavenly
laulau
-
meat or fish wrapped in taro leaves and
steamed in a ti leaf packet
lei - garland of flowers, leaves, nuts, or shells
limu
- seaweed
lolo
- crazy
lua - bathroom or toilet
luau - feast
M
mahalo
- thank you
mahimahi
- dolphin fish
maika`i
- good
makahiki
- ancient Hawaiian celebration held
annually with sports and religious festivities
makai - towards the ocean
malihini
- newcomer, visitor
mauka - inland, towards the mountains
mauna - mountain
mele - song, sing
menehune
- mythical small people who are rumored to
have inhabited the Hawaiian islands before Polynesians
mu’umu’u
- long and loose fitting dress
N & O
nai'a
- dolphin (the mammal)
nani - beautiful, enjoyable
nene - endangered Hawaii native goose
niu - coconut
`ono - delicious
`opala
- trash
P
pahoehoe
- smooth lava
pali - cliff
paniolo
- cowboy
pau - done, completed
poi
- pounded taro root
puka
- hole
pulehu - cook over hot coals
pupu - appetizer, snack
pupule - crazy
U & W
ukulele
- stringed instrument, small guitar
wahine - woman
wai
- fresh water
wikiwiki
- quick, fast |
