Mar 30th, 2008
Arizona Aloha Festival sways into Valley
Thwack, thump, thwack, thump, thump. The sound of more than 30 hollow-gourd drums hitting the floor rumbles through a no-frills suite in a strip mall in west Tempe.
Drummers, young and old, are seated on gray carpet, alternately striking the sides of their instruments - called "ipu heke"- and lowering them to the floor. As the beat builds, they begin to sing:
Noho nani mai
"Be careful with your Hawaiian words!" their teacher urges over the rising music. "If you have the ‘U’ sound, don’t be afraid to shape your mouth so that sound comes out nice and strong!"
As the song’s lyrics become more pronounced, the teacher, Kaimikahu Valdez, doesn’t miss a beat. Within seconds, she slaps her drum, rolls her hand from pinky to thumb on the side of the instrument, drops it to the ground and starts the sequence over again, singing all the while.
Valdez, owner of Kaimikahu Hale O Hula in Tempe, is leading a rehearsal of the "Lili’u e," a Hawaiian song honoring the islands’ last reigning monarch, Queen Lili’uokalani. The group, along with about 60 other drummers from halaus - or hula schools - across the Valley, will perform the song Saturday as part of opening ceremonies at the Arizona Aloha Festival in Phoenix.
The two-day event, in its 14th year, draws 80,000 to 100,000 people to Heritage and Science Park to experience the culture of the Pacific islands, according to planning chairwoman Lacretia Bacon.
"There have been Pacific Islanders in Arizona for a long time, and we have a wonderfully rich community in the Valley," she says.
Two stages will feature live music, dance, martial arts and storytelling from a variety of Polynesian cultures. Craft-making booths, a souvenir marketplace, and areas where you can learn to play the ukulele or speak Hawaiian phrases will be available. A food court will offer island-inspired food and shaved ice.
Tags: arts, festival, tempe
16 Responses to “Arizona Aloha Festival sways into Valley”
and this is on reddit because……
I think too many forget how ruthless young people are, especially with eachother.
US people, is highschool in general really like this way the hell over there? (I’m in Ireland). I’ve often wondered if the sort of clique behaviour portrayed in US highschool movies is in any way based on reality, and this is sort of making me think it is
Thirty years from now, Becka will be sitting alone, half-drunk at a bar, desperately hoping for Mr. Right to walk through the door and magically become her fourth husband, and will sadly think, “What happened? I was number one on the Lunch Table Rules list.”
stop trying to make fetch happen LOL
Davys (sometimes): Oh! And love your neighbor!Luke (sometimes): And each other too!/surreal
I don’t know why, but for some reason this has reaffirmed my faith in humanity. It’s so fucked up, but there’s something very real and human about it.
not sure what all the uproar is about. i agree with keith, this stuff is pretty normal.
But nowhere on there does it say they must use the word “fetch”. That’s an obvious sign that this is fake.
Go Teen Girl Squad!
I went to four high schools. Two were standard-issue American high schools, and two were American boarding schools in Rome (with American students being the minority).The typical American high schools were full of vicious cliques.The boarding schools had cliques, but for the most part they weren’t competetive or hostile. There was a bit more perspective.The students at the boarding schools were treated more like adults, while the students at American high schools are treated as errant children, processed like meat. (How can you have any pudding if you don’t eat your meat?!)It creates a toxic atmosphere.American high schools have a feeling of being hermetically sealed from the outside world. Petty dramas take on an echo-chamber effect.
Ah the good ole days…
I enjoy grouphug even though much of it is obviously fake.Edit: I can’t f*cking type.
Oh how this brings back memories. Thank God, high school was only 4 years long. :)This is hilarious to say the least!
ya - it really is