Edward Etua Lopes

Nā Kumu Hula Edward Etua Lopes - Nānā I Nā Loea Hula Volume 2 Page 71

Etua Lopes is kumu hula of Hālau Hula Na Pua Uʻi O Hawaiʻi and has been teaching hula on the grounds of the Hulihe‘e Palace in Kailua-Kona since 1984.

It was through Lokelani Anderson that I met Uncle George Nā‘ope. He had come to teach us to paʻi for the girls in her show. Originally I went to Lokelani’s hālau to become a Tahitian drummer. I was fifteen-years-old and my first hula experience was watching the girls dance. I just fell in love with the hula.

I stayed with Lokelani for about three years and in 1971 I left Honolulu and went to Hilo to learn from Uncle George. That’s when my focus on learning the hula began. I’ve been with Uncle George ever since.

Uncle George had the most influence in my hula. He taught me that I can’t be exactly like him so he sent me to different teachers. Because of Uncle George Eve met a lot of very well known hula masters. I was able to take a few classes from Henry Pa, Lokalia Montgomery, ‘Iolani Luahine, Edith Kanaka‘ole, and Eleanor Hiram Hoke. Aunty ‘Iolani did not teach me to dance but she gave me a lot of the history.

For four years my hula brother Ray Fonseca and I spent every weekend with Aunty ʻIo in Kona. At that time she was the curator of the Hulihe‘e Palace and she lived in the house where the gift shop is now. On Sunday we would take her down to her Napo‘opo‘o home and spend the day with her. Ray and I were always around when Aunty ʻIo and Uncle George did oli, blessings, and other rituals. We gained a lot of knowledge by listening and watching Aunty ʻIo and Uncle George.

When Uncle George returned to Honolulu and taught hula for the Kalihi - Pālama Culture & Arts Society, Inc., Ray and I were alaka'i for his classes. The Society also sponsored classes such as feather lei making, lau hala weaving, implements and drum making. We attended all these classes to help us prepare for our ‘ūniki.

Ray and I had our ‘ūniki at Farrington High School in 1976. The day of our ‘ūniki was very exciting. We were the first two males to ever ‘ūniki from Uncle George. The days before our ‘ūniki were spent gathering laua‘e, palapalai, maile, hau, ‘ohi‘a lehua, and ʻilima. We met him at Farrington’s auditorium and we set up the lele for Laka made from ‘ohi‘a. Laka was made of lama. Uncle explained to us the different kino lau that went on the kuahu and the meaning of each plant.

We opened that evening with pule and oli and then hula palm such as: “Kaulīlua I Ke Anu O Wai‘ale‘ale,” “A Ko‘olau,” and “‘Au‘a ‘la,” followed by ‘ala‘apapa with ipu heke and implements, and finishing with the hula ma‘i. Ray and I took turns chanting while the other danced. When Uncle George chanted, we both danced. After a short intermission we had fun with the hula ‘auana. That evening is special to me because it’s when I became kumu hula.

I still teach and carry on what Uncle George taught me. But I feel that I have my own style because I was also inspired by another man that I really respect in hula, Uncle Henry Pa. Our kupuna are very important. They are the source and we must go back to talk to them. Kumu hula must learn from the masters. If you need help as a young kumu, you must seek their knowledge.

Seeing my girls in their costumes on stage is worth all the months of hard work even if it’s only for a five-minute performance. Just to see them on stage and to hear the audience’s applause for what they have done is my reward. As a kumu hula you deal with not only your problems but also with the keiki and their problems at home. Some of the children have a hard time at home and it reflects in class. I try to work with them and encourage them to do their best.

I’ve been teaching for over seventeen years. Although I am not ready to ‘ūniki any of my haumāna eventually I would like to have them go through the same process that I went through and have an ‘ūniki. I would expect the same things from them as my kumu expected from me.

However things have changed. When we first learned how to dance, it was basic ‘ōlapa. Today when you listen to the ho‘opa‘a play the ipu heke, they’re just slapping away. We had definite beats that we had to use. In comparison the hula kahiko of today is very flamboyant.

One of the reasons why I decided to become a hula teacher instead of a Tahitian drummer is because I love children. I made my decision and went into the hula all the way. Being around children makes me happy. To me the children are our future. If we teach our children right, they are going to carry on the tradition of our people.