Mahalo to Danielle Bauler for sharing this neat Aloha Friday Photo that she took from Maui. The younger man on this picture is blowing a pu, which is also called a conch shell. The blowing of the pu has an extended custom in Hawaiian tradition. It signifies an arrival, begin of an occasion or different vital taking place.
In Danielle’s picture, the pu is almost certainly being blown to announce tiki torch lighting at sunset. A number of Hawaii motels have a torch lighting ceremony with a pu announcement. Additionally, it’s frequent to have a pu blowing at the beginning of luau.
On a visit to Molokai in 2013, we skilled an genuine Hawaiian protocol of arrival and requesting permission to method that began with a pu announcement. Right here’s what I wrote about that have:
We adopted our information Gregory Kawaimaka Solatorio and his cousin Sean in direction of the valley. As we approached, Gregory blew the pu (conch shell) to announce our presence and method. From a distance, we waited till we heard a response additionally by pu. This response meant that it was okay to method so we walked nearer.
As soon as the 2 events might see and listen to one another — roughly 50 yards aside, Keoho chanted in Hawaiian to inform the landowner who she was by ancestry and the aim of our go to.
The landowner, Pilipo Solatorio, reverently and extra affectionally referred to as Anakala (uncle) Pilipo, chanted in Hawaiian. Although I understood little or no of his chant, I did hear him saying, “E komo mai” which is the Hawaiian phrase for welcome. With this permission, we walked nearer to Anakala Pilipo surrounded by his grandchildren training this conventional with him.
Comfortable Aloha Friday!
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