Kekela Miller, kumu hula and lifetime resident of Laie, reminded those at the BYUH Women’s Organization Luncheon, of Laie as a historical sacred gathering place on March 12.“Laie: the place of refuge. Laie: a gathering place for all. Laie: the place to learn the culture,” Miller said.Miller began her presentation talking about Laie in the 1800s. “Think back to the 1800s; how barren this place was. It became a pu‘uhonua, a place of refuge and tall walls were built around Laie. So no wonder the prophets thought this would be a perfect place: it was already sacred.”She continued, “My family was here before the missionaries came. When they came, we knew it was what the kupunas had been talking about. They had said there will be a religion that comes that will bind families together forever.” Miller shared her testimony of LDS religion, emphasizing the temple. “Everyone who has come to this place has a responsibility to protect the white house, the kahale la’a, the temple.” Miller said there were already Christian religions on the island by the time the LDS missionaries came. Catholic and Protestants were around, and Miller said when Hawaiians came back from Honolulu, after converting to those churches. “They realized they were not allowed to do hula or speak Hawaiian. It was different when the Mormons came,” she said. “They said, ‘Speak Hawaiian. Teach your culture. Practice hula.’”People, Mormons and non-mormons alike, Miller said, flocked to Laie to “learn their cultures. All the hula masters came here. They would only teach you if you became a member of the church. Look at the Merry Monarch festival. All those kumu hula trace their hula genealogy to this small village.” Miller’s husband, Martin Miller, said to the assembled women, “I hope that, as women, you teach your children your culture and keep your culture alive as she has, and you won’t regret it. I know sometimes your culture gets in the way of church activities, but it is good. Keeps them out of jail.”Kekela added, “Hula, music, religion was a very big part of Laie.” She dances and teaches hula, and in her early life, her grandparents told her she would dance the hula. However, “my thing was always playing with the boys. Wrestling, surfing, racing, even boxing. Whatever the boys did, I wanted to do better. My grandparents had different ideas for me.”In addition to the impact Laie had on hula, Kekela said BYU-Hawaii was destined to be here. “I remember, when I went to Laie Elementary, the kupunas said ‘One day there will be a school bigger than the one we are in now.’ Lo and behold, David O. McKay came and founded the Church College of Hawaii. Who would have thought there was such big learning, and that it would be in this little town of Laie?”Kekela said the town of Laie is still a gathering place and that all cultures are welcome - just as anyone was welcomed when Laie was a pu‘uhonua. “I hope you know what makes this place special. It is you. It is us. It is our kupuna. For me the aloha spirit lives on in you—whether you are Hawaiian or not—it is the light of Christ, and it is our sisterhood that bonds us together. We have different cultures and music and when we have oppositions it makes us stronger.”Hawaiian instruments, like ukulele, ipu, and uliuli were the centerpieces on the tables in the room. Kekela invited the audience to play along and contribute to the music as she sang. Then her halau came out and danced to two songs: “Puke’ele,” which is about a son’s gratitude to his mother and “Laie Nani,” an ode to Laie.Linda Black, who helped set up the event, said it was “a worthwhile and meaningful time we shared to create gratitude for this beautiful place.”RosaMaria Hurst, who has lived in Laie for more than 20 years, said, “It was beautiful. I think this is what we need to hear. We have been listening, but need to keep listening. You have come to learn the aloha spirit. I’m not from here, but I’ve learned that.”Kekela opened an invitation to anyone who wanted to learn hula. They meet every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Laie Elementary School Cafeteria, and it is free. “Hula is to be taught to everyone. Hula is from the heart,” she said.Uploaded March 19, 2015
Writer: Samone Isom
