Story and photos by Ben McBee
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The University of Oregon Hui O Hawai’i Club’s 38^th annual Lu’au was a night of delicious Hawaiian cuisine and traditional islander entertainment. Visitors passed by tropical decorations and were given shell necklaces on their way up the stairs leading up to the Erb Memorial Union’s Ballroom, demonstrating a true Hawaiian welcome.
Once inside, guests could choose to sit at one of many tables adorned with candies, bubbles, and succulent Hawaiian pineapple. Musician Kumu Ilawani and her group, Sweet Aloha, performed live music to entertain the crowd as they waited for dinner. The night’s menu consisted of traditional island foods like Kalua pig, Shoyu chicken, pineapple cake, and Laulau, a type of steamed pork wrapped in Taro leaves. In addition to these delicious items, shaved ice was sold in Big Island proportions, providing a filling snack during the performances.
Performer Nue Apiki really got the night’s festivities rolling with her beautiful performance in an opening chant. Following this was the presentation of the women’s Kahiko, a type of Hula dance performed in Hawai’i before the arrival of Westerners. Then the men performed the Hula Auana, a type of hula that developed with Western influence and involves instruments like the guitar, bass, and of course ukulele. Between these performances, there were many raffles with prizes ranging from coconut bowls to Hawaiian pineapple. To further engage the audience, people were randomly chosen to go onstage and participate in a Tahitian dance contest. Because Tahitian dance is characterized by rapid drumbeats and rhythmic hip movement, the results of this competition were very amusing to the crowd and brought smiles to many faces.
To conclude the Lu’au, the events overall coordinator Shaylen Chang spoke words of thanks to all the supporters of the event and all that attended. After her speech, everyone in the crowd was asked to hold hands and sang “Hawai’i Aloha,” a song describing a love of Hawai’i and its beauty. Just as the night’s theme “pi’i mai ka nalu” (or “surf’s up”) suggests, the Lu’au provided a taste of Hawaiian culture that left you anticipating next year’s event, just like the wait for the next big wave.