The Hawaiian War Chant: a personal dichotomy
First, let me say that I mean no disrespect to the Hawaiian culture. I think that it's terrible what the invading Westerners did to the Hawaiian culture (along with the rest of the indigenous peoples of the world). In a sense, the "Hawaiian War Chant" can be held as symbolic of the cultural damage done.
Why is the Hawaiian War Chant called the Hawaiian War Chant? Western marketing.
Originally, it was called "Kaua i ka Huahua'i" ("We Two in the Spray"). It's really a beautiful love song.
Here is what I understand to be a literal translation of the first verse of the original song:
We two in the spray
Oh joy two together
Embracing tightly in the coolness
Breathing deep of palai fern.
Beautiful, even efter translation. Ahhhh....
I really do like the unique feel of the song, taken free of historical context. I mean, wow, Hawaiian has got to be the most beautiful language in the world, as this song really demonstrates. And the song's carefree atmosphere reminds me of African High Life music (as well as other Hawaiian songs, of course).
I recently was reminded of the Hawaiian War Chant when I saw this crazy video of a satellite radio spot featuring King Kukulele. I think it's quite cool in its madness.
And somehow it resonated with Doni and I to learn the Hawaiian War Chant. I don't have it totally memorized, I guess because it's kind of hard to memorize something in a completely foreign language. I have to learn it entirely phonetically. But it's a beautiful song when sang slowly, fun at a moderate speed, and can be really pretty wild when sung fast, as King Kukulele demonstrates. Most of my generation probably remember it best as the big sendoff in Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. There, the song starts out beautiful and slow, then moves to a moderate tempo, and then the chanting totem poles take over and somehow make it feel more war-like. I imagine that this was inspired by Hilo Hattie's version.
Here are the Hawaiian words to the Hawaiian War Chant, which we're learning:
Tahuwai la a tahuwai wai la
Ehu hene la a pili koo lua la
Pututui lu a ite toe la
Hanu lipo ita paalai
Tahuwai la a tahuwai wai la
Ehu hene la a pili koo lua la
Pututui lu a ite toe la
Hanu lipo ita paalai
Au we ta huala
Au we ta huala
See? It's simple! Just five lines repeated twice. Easy! Well, let me know when you have it memorized, huh?
I'll keep working on it...
After the english-speaking writers got done with the song around 1950, it went something like this:
here's a sunny little, funny little melody
That was started by a native down in Waikiki
He would gather a crowd down beside the sea
And together they'd play his gay Hawaiian Chant
Soon the other little natives started singin' it
And the hula hula maidens starting swingin' it
Like a tropical storm that's the way it hit
Funny little gay Hawaiian chant
Ow way
tah Tualan
Me big
bad Fightin' man
Tho it started on an island down Hawaii way
It's as popular in Tennessee or Ioway
If you wander into any cabaret
You will hear this gay Hawaiian chant
Ow way
tah Tualan
Me big
bad Fightin' man
Tahuwai la a tahuwai wai la
Ehu hene la a pili koo lua la
Pututui lu a ite toe la
Hanu lipo ita paalai
Tahuwai la a tahuwai wai la
Ehu hene la a pili koo lua la
Pututui lu a ite toe la
Hanu lipo ita paalai
Au we ta huala
Au we ta huala
Tahuwai la a tahuwai wai la
Ehu hene la a pili koo lua la
Pututui lu a ite toe la
Hanu lipo ita paalai
Tahuwai la a tahuwai wai la
Ehu hene la a pili koo lua la
Pututui lu a ite toe la
Hanu lipo ita paalai
Au we ta huala
Au we ta huala
Here's some more information from the Wikipedia entry for the song:
"Hawaiian War Chant was an American popular song whose original melody was written in 1860 by Prince Leleiohaku as Kaua i ka Huahua'i or "We Two in the Spray."
English lyrics by Ralph Freed were added in 1936 and the melody changed somewhat at that time by Johnny Noble.
The song was later featured in the 1942 film Ship Ahoy starring Eleanor Powell, Red Skelton and the Tommy Dorsey Band.
A huge success and a crowd favorite in Hawaiian resorts even today, singer Hilo Hattie used it extensively in her own shows, singing it at three different speeds with the claim that Leleiohaku wrote it about two palace lovers who met in secret.
She also credited comedy bandleader Spike Jones for popularizing an uptempo comedic version of the song. Since 1963, the
Hawaiian War Chant has served as the finale in the Enchanted Tiki Room attraction at Disneyland.
In 1957, Bill Haley & His Comets recorded the comedic "Me Rock-a-Hula" which was based upon the "Hawaiian War Chant" melody."
Except for this snippet from Amazon, I haven't heard "Me Rock-a-Hula" yet. Judging from that snippet, I think I'm fortunate.
Anyway, like I said, the song's history is a microcosm of Western assimilation. It's a wonderful song, intrinsically beautiful, yet tragic in its transformation.
So why do I love it even in its fast, comedic form? It just hits me like a ton of bricks, like fireworks.
It's a wacky rock-a-roo.
Mahalo.
posted by Jim at 1:54 PM
4 Comments:
I have to admit, I haven't listened to all your links yet. But I will.
Have you ever read: Blue Latitudes : Boldly Going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before. This is a good book that follows Capt Cook thru his explorations of the islands in the Pacific and how the white man brought civilization (hrumpffff) to the natives. A good read.
Did you know (and you probably don't know this cuz how could you?) that I hula dance? I learned when I was a young teen and was in a Hawaiian dance troupe for years. We did lots of entertainment for the military (no, not THAT kind of entertainment) and in some clubs. Once we did a show at Dick Dales nightclub here in town. He had lions in a pen on his property.
Ok, thats all for now.
fjryxiza: fear of jury picking
Viv,
I haven't read that book. Sounds interesting.
Our friend Nancy in Sonoma County ("redhen" on the blogs) is a really good hula dancer. She says that Hula has really helped her cope with stresses in her life, too. She's really beautiful and is a joy to watch hula. (Hi, Nancy!) Her troupe participates in major shows every year. Several years ago they did a show that was about the history of Hawaii and its assimilation via Cook and his cohorts. Quite informative and, of course, tragic. Yet hula lives on.
You hula too, huh? Great! I'd like to see you dance if the occasion ever arises.
I hear Dick Dale is quite a wild man. There used to be a zoo for use by Hollywood moviemakers just north of town. In the late seventies, Donita and I stumbled across it; it was closed down mostly, and unguarded, but there were large cats and other exotic fauna being stored there. Really strange to walk around it.
Speaking of juries, I'm serving on a jury starting tomorrow. I hope they let me go.
King Kukulele (real name Dennis Moynahan) has his business card up on his website. The back of his card has the War Chant lyrics spelled out phonetically:
TAH HOO WAHEE LA A TAH HOO WAHEE WAHEE LA
EH HOO HEN ALA A PILI KO ALU ALA
POO TOO TOO EE LUAH EE TAY TOH ALA
HANO LEE PO EE TA PAH ALA HEE
That's clever of the King, since his audiences can then sing along if they want, I suppose.
It might be easier to learn with that spelling; come to think of it, since Hawaii isn't a written language, that spelling is probably just as valid anyway.
I think I read that Nancy did hula. It's a pretty cool dance, it taught me a lot about expressiveness without words. I can't remember if it ever helped me with the stressors of teenhood, yoga helps me with that as an adult.
I never went to Dick Dales zoo thing. The nightclub experience when I was 14 was a zoo in it's own way. LOL.
I hope you don't have to stay more than the one day of jury duty. I get called every year and it makes me go grrrrrrr. cuz I get picked like every other year it seems.
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