One of the best-known love songs in Hawaii, Pua Ahihi, compares the romance of one's sweetheart to the beautiful ahihi blossom that grows in abundance high atop Lanihuli, a peak west of the Nuuanu Pali gap in the Koolau mountains. The composer, Maddy Lam wrote the mele (song) for Kahauanu Lake as a gift to Maiki Aiu, whom he held in such high esteem. Like the flower, Maiki, too appeared to be unattainable. To watch hula dancers tell this touching love story through their graceful movements is poetry in motion. “Hula does represent Hawaii—the Hawaii of the language,” says Hokulani Holt-Padilla, Maui's master kumu hula and Hawaiian culture and language specialist. “Hula expresses all of the different kinds of love from the love of a sweetheart, to the love of one’s homeland and the love of children,” she says.

The captivating dance is famously said to be the heartbeat of Hawaii, as it speaks the language of the heart. Hula can only begin to tell the intimate story of ancient and contemporary Hawaii, if you stop to watch closely. What better echoes a culture, a people, and a land than the arts? The Hawaiian Islands offer a broadening landscape that has irresistibly attracted and inspired the skilled artisan, the intrepid traveler, and the hopeless romantic alike. As a visitor to the islands, you will leave changed forever once you begin to comprehend the depth and breadth of
the Hawaiian culture, the true heart of the
kama‘aina.

Take a glance at a famous painting of Paul Gauguin's vision of French Polynesia and you immediately sense the romance and simplicity of Tahiti. The Post-Impressionist painter revealed his inner zeal in sailing to a far distant land for inspiration. He not only revived his creative spirit, he was able to convey a part of the story of an isolated civilization through bold watercolor. Much like Gauguin's masterpieces, Hawaiian art tells a mo'olelo (story) that is steeped in tradition, spirituality, authenticity, and struggle. As the cultural programs director of the Maui Arts and
Cultural Center, Kumu Hokulani oversees the inclusion of Hawaiian values and philosophies in the arts including performance, visual, and literary presentations. “The appreciation and respect for Hawaiian history, cultural arts,
and values has not been appropriately and sufficiently disseminated in the past,” says Kumu Hokulani. “A true understanding of the arts can only come if a person stops to notice how that medium makes them feel,” she says.
“Just like any art form, hula has a powerful way of reflecting one’s emotions.”

The modern day wedding gives the ancient Hawaiian hula a contemporary stage upon which to perform. Strong men and woman dressed in exquisite, vibrant patterns and flowing skirts made of tapa, known as a pa‘u, tell the intimate stories of their ancestors through swift movements. Chants sound in the distance over a rhythmic beating of drums. Each motion, posture, and sincere gaze conveys a focused narrative. The thrilling performance art is both a cornerstone of the culture and a cause for celebration. Once banned by missionaries in the 1800s to devastating effects, the hula community is alive and flourishing today. It seems that the Hawaiian arts are experiencing a resurgence, continuously shifting with contemporary life. The world-famous annual Merrie Monarch Festival on the Big Island has been a leader in perpetuating and preserving the art of hula. Kumu Hokulani says, “I think we may
be on the threshold of change with cultural awareness divisions opening up in the travel and marketing industries.”

While hula elegantly interprets the language of Hawai‘i, the ancient art of weaving gives a historical narrative of the land and the economy. Hand-woven baskets in rich hues of brown and gold are displayed in a gallery window front in the quaint plantation town of Pai‘a on Maui’s North Shore. At first glance, the baskets appear to be everyday objects, but move closer and like many art forms, a story unfolds before you. Hawaiian weaver, Pohaku Kahoohanohano began weaving in 1993 under the guidance of seven legendary female weavers from Maui and the Big Island. “One day I looked closely at my genealogy and realized like most Hawaiians, that I come from a line of lauhala weavers,” he says. “It changed my destiny.”

Weaving was a way of life for many Hawaiian families in the early 1900s. Pohaku enjoyed mornings in the Honokohau Valley on the island's west side gathering natural materials from hala (pandanus) trees to weave into
lauhala baskets and hats. “My inspiration comes from the land, wherever a tree grows in abundance,” he says. Pohaku gathers most of his lauhala from the lush jungles in Hana, then sits down to weave in the solitude of his home in Keanae. Natural materials such as bamboo, banana bark, and iwa iwa fern are beautifully woven into contemporary pieces. “My great grandmother made utilitarian objects out of necessity, which isn’t the case nowadays,” he says. “Weavers have had to change with the times and for me, that means using a traditional method to make modern items.” His craft reflects his love of Hawai‘i and the culture. “My roots are the driving force behind my art,” he says. “By passing on my skills through teaching, I am doing my part to preserve the Hawaiian style of weaving and hopefully influencing younger generations.” Pohaku’s intricately crafted lamps and hats are on display in Makawao’s Viewpoints Gallery and exhibits throughout the islands.

As a member of the Maui Crafts Guild in Paia, Maui weaver Fiama Von Schutz has been honing her skills for over twenty years. Her wonderful baskets, filled to the brim with orchids, once adorned a tropical table setting in the pages of Pacific WEDDINGS™. Fiama's love of nature and hiking led her to enroll in weaving lessons at the Hui Noeau Visual Arts Center under some of Hawai‘i’s most influential weavers. “To this day, I weave in a traditional Hawaiian style, but the natural fibers have changed as mother nature has changed,” she says. Fiama gathers local grasses, coconut fibers, shells and palm leaves from the mountains, jungles, rivers, and beaches to “represent the beauty and simplicity of the land in its entirety.” As for visitors to the islands taking a piece of their travels home with them, Fiama remarks, “I always hope that the aloha that goes into my art is felt and shared with all those who carry the baskets with them.” Of all the cherished moments, the most significant will be the remembrance of your Hawaiian wedding, and the people whom you will carry home in your heart.