‘Natives’ is
powerful hula

Review by John Berger
Star-Bulletin

Patrick Makuakane opened his controversial production, "The Natives Are Restless," with a lengthy quote from an early missionary who wondered whether Hawaiians were actually human. The missionary's ugly words helped set the mood for the frank look at Hawaiian history that followed. This was not conventional hula.

The women of Makuakane's Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu responded to the missionary's diatribe by dancing bare-chested. Few halau honor the ancient ways to that degree these days. By doing so Makuakane and his halau made it clear that they reject conventional limitations.

Makuakane and his halau presented "The Natives Are Restless" in three performances over the weekend. Makuakane's hula mua style -- a blending of contemporary Western dance with traditional hula -- has been criticized by some traditionalists but the show was a magnificent and inspiring experience.

"Natives" combines a stirring account of 19th-century history with a look at recent cultural conflicts and Makuakane's experiences as a modern Hawaiian.

Hula has been a cultural battleground for almost two centuries. Foreign missionaries did their best to eradicate it. King David Kalakaua revived hula and other forms of pre-Christian culture as part of a gallant but doomed struggle.

"Another culture from thousands of miles away taught us to be ashamed -- and we believed them!" Makuakane said during the Saturday performance.

A different type of conflict exists today within the hula community over what is "correct" historically, and to what extent the dance may evolve.

Act I portrayed in powerful dramatic form the struggle that saw the triumph of Christianity over traditional Hawaiian beliefs, and the subsequent emasculation of Hawaiian political power. The story ended with a handful of dancers performing to Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's "Hawaii '78" while information on the dismal social standing of modern Hawaiians was projected on a screen.

The message? Hawaiians as a group are less healthy and are more likely to live in poverty than others in Hawaii.

Act II was lighter in tone but just as profound. Makuakane offered a classic tale of Pele and Kamapua'a in something of a modern context, and told of growing up in a large Hawaiian family that included an uncle who sometimes brought home drag-queen friends for loud late-night mah-jong games.

Makuakane concluded his part of the "Uncle Emile" segment by saying that his uncle had taught him "It's OK to be who you are."

Makuakane also confronted his "cultural nemesis" -- the grass skirt -- with comments that had the crowd howling. The parody of Hollywood pseudo hula that followed was hilarious. Makuakane capped that segment by joining his men for a powerful display in which the kane wore grass skirts over contemporary street-gang attire.

There was so much more to enjoy. The dancers performed to opera, techno and house tracks, and traditional percussion and chant as well. Costumes and production values matched the best we've seen.

It is for kumu hula to appraise hula mua relative to the traditions entrusted to them by their elders. However, as modern Hawaiian dance, as a sharing of Hawaiian history, and as a celebration of life and the human experience, "The Natives Are Restless" represents dance at its best.

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