Hawai'i Ways
Sashaying with the hula ladies
By John Sedillo
Everyone in the family knows calling my mom, Pomaika'i Sedillo, on any given Wednesday is a gamble. Phone calls usually end abruptly with an "It's my hula day!" Come over to our Kailua home in person and you're greeted with scents of Clorox, Fantastik and Lemon Pledge while dancing sponges blur your vision. Poor Aunty Ria's up on the ladder scrubbing eaves, and that's after washing down the patio, setting up the chairs and cleaning the screens. Heaven forbid if you're starving and want to make a sandwich at the same time the kitchen is getting napalmed.
The ladies of Pu'uwaialohakahanauola gather together Wednesday afternoon every week for their cherished Hula Day. These women are the heart and soul of Ken Kekoa's small but spirited halau. ... As with most struggling halau, student turnover is common, but the kupuna remain tried and true. Strains of "My Yellow Ginger Lei," "Pua 'Ahihi" or "E Ku'u Baby Hot Cha Cha" fill the air around the open patio in our back yard.
Wise with age, the kupuna take the shady side while poor Kumu gets to face the afternoon heat in all its glory. Kupuna aren't expected to be perfect in their dancing, as age and physical limitations are a factor, but I must admit these ladies are getting pretty darned good lately.
Always vowing to bring "just a little pupu," it becomes almost a party atmosphere the way the kitchen fills up with potluck, okazu and homemade desserts. Laughter fills the air, and oh, how naughty these kupuna can be away from their husbands and family.
There's Makalena, always elegantly dressed and eloquent. She is the honored kupuna of this group and my personal favorite. Not even ailments and surgeries can keep Makalena away. A day after coming out of the hospital, she's back with vigor.
Pomaika'i — Mom — is the team leader and backbone of the group. Dedicated in dance, she opens her home to the halau .... Nona is the akamai one. She travels all the way from Nanakuli to share with this Kailua group. Betty is the fireplug and perfectly suited in her role as sergeant-at-arms. Don't pull no shenanigans when Betty's around, yet her joyous side provides hilarious laughter with her antics.
Lil' Trudy is a quiet but integral part of this group and lives her life as a true halau sister, a perfect balance to Rose, who is wild and crazy. This wahine lives to dance flirtatiously, and there is never a dull moment when Rose is around. Isabel doesn't dance but is always there to support the halau with winnah pupu.
Chu, the youngster of the group and Makalena's daughter, is the spunk and energy injection. ... Ku'uipo is so loving and faithful; never mind if it's not perfect, just dance for the love of dancing is Ku'uipo's way. Aunty Punani rounds out the group as a music master and performs comic hula.
Soon, the sun tumbles gently behind the cloud-pillowed Ko'olaus. Under the patient guidance of Kumu, the kupuna conclude polish their latest number. As twilight deepens, one last wala 'au session gives way to husbands coming to take their sweethearts home.
John Sedillo lives in Kailua.
