BYTE MARKS
Tradition illuminated online
By Burt Lum
The process of 'uniki is part of Hawaiian tradition. It acknowledges the accomplishment of a student as he or she moves to the next level — in essence, a graduation. In Western culture, we see graduations in places such as grade schools. But in the less-public tradition of the 'uniki, graduation takes months and involves purification, meditation, preparation and adherence to kapu.
There is a public side to the 'uniki, which I was fortunate to witness. A couple of friends of mine, Sam Gon and Loku'olu Quintero, both had their 'uniki ceremony on Feb. 22 under the tutelage of kumu John Keola Lake (www.olelo.com/halaumele). They were part of a group that consisted of five kahuna, or priests; three kumu, or teachers; and eight 'olapa, or dancers. The 'uniki for the kahuna, including Gon and Quintero, was historic. Not since the abolishment of the kapu system in 1819 have kahuna been graduated, specifically kahuna kakalaleo.
They are the "defenders of the voice," or, in this case, the chants, or oli, used in ritual. For an in-depth recap of this 'uniki, you must read Vicki Viotti's article in this newspaper's online version at the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Feb/23/ln/ln17a.html.
The 'uniki for teachers and dancers of hula occur more frequently. Each lineage of hula style required the 'uniki to graduate teachers and dancers to perpetuate that style.
There are several online references of the 'uniki. On the Foundation for Pacific Dance site at home.att.net/~pacificdance, you will find an explanation and purpose of the 'uniki class put on by kumu hula Mapuana de Silva, who studied under the same teacher as Lake, Auntie Maiki Aiu Lake.
You might pay close attention to two ceremonial practices, the 'uniki hu'elepo, or the dust scattering ceremony, and the 'uniki ailolo, the eating of symbolic foods.
Pictures are worth a thousand words, so check out www.brouhaha.net/gallery/culture. It's a cursory view of a ceremony deep set in tradition. ;-)
Reach Burt Lum at burt@brouhaha.net.
