Merrie Monarch Festival Plants: Traditional Gathering Protocol
Before stepping on stage, hula dancers traditionally make their own flower lei, following strict cultural protocols when gathering flowers and plants. Whether performing at a lūʻau or the Merrie Monarch hula competition, dancers and their kumu hula (hula teachers) carefully observe these practices as part of honoring the hula, the land, and the gods.
This post shares traditional gathering protocols followed by hula hālau when preparing lei and adornments for performance, including the Merrie Monarch Festival. Practices may vary slightly by hālau and kumu hula.
Hula Adornments and Their Meaning
Adornments — hula plants worn by the dancers — include maile, ‘ilima, lehua, palapalai, and ‘a‘ali‘i, among others. In my last blog, I mentioned that the flowers used by the dancers are specifically selected because they represent the people or places mentioned in the hula being performed. For instance, if the dance is about the volcano goddess Pele, the the dancers will wear red lehua flowers.
When Flowers and Plants Are Gathered
Depending on the types of flowers and plants to be used in a performance, hula dancers will typically pick the flowers several days in advance of a performance. Some material like the liko (flower buds on the lehua tree) can be picked a week in advance, while ferns are picked a couple days in advance.
Under the guidance of their kumu hula, the dancers follow a specific sequence of events. The kumu hula is the one responsible for creating the design of their costumes and what lei the dancers will wear.
Where Do Hula Dancers Gather Flowers and Plants?
The kumu hula is also in charge of knowing where to go pick flowers and plants used for the lei the dancers will wear. Every hula halau (group) has their own special spots for collecting plants. But don’t expect them to tell you where they picked their flowers – their gathering places are usually a secret! First and foremost is to always ask permission before entering a forest to gather plants. Depending on the situation, either the kumu hula or the entire halau will perform a protective oli (chant).
Gathering With Respect and Intention
Hula halau, and hula dancers in general, do not gather plant material needlessly. The specific hula they will perform dictates what flowers and plants will be worn, so the dancers only pick those flowers needed for the specific dance. Gathering the plant material isn’t a social party time. When in the forest, the hula dancers and their kumu hula consider themselves to be in the realm of the gods and other beings. Dancers are respectful of their surroundings, picking flowers and plants quietly and then leaving.
Growing and Sourcing Plants for Merrie Monarch
Some hula dancers have started to grow their own plants at home. They’ll grow their own gardens at their home, or someplace they can tend to them, because some plants are getting harder and harder to find. Hawaii Island halau performing in Merrie Monarch have an advantage in that they can pick all their materials on island. Competing halau from other islands will usually pick their flowers and make their lei shortly before arriving in Hilo.
On islands like Oahu, which is the most populated of all the Hawaiian Islands and also home to the most hula halau, it is becoming harder for some halau to find certain flowers. They, and other competing halau from the mainland or other countries, must either order their plant material from a Hawaiian florist or nursery, or hire a halau here on Hawaii Island to make their lei for them.
Returning the Plants to Nature
When the hula performance is finished, the plant materials are returned back to nature either to the dancer’s garden or to the forest. These gathering protocols reflect the deep connection between hula, nature, and cultural responsibility that continues to guide Merrie Monarch performers today.
If you’re looking to learn more about Hawaiian culture and hula, be sure to explore our related posts. You can learn about:
Leave your opinion here. Please be nice. Your Email address will be kept private, this form is secure and we never spam you.