Dreaming of Hawaii with Pu'ili, Hawaiian Rhythm Sticks, Music and Stories

Now this winter has been harsh for most of North America. The past two weeks it seems it snows five to six inches every few days here. I am so over winter and cannot wait for spring!! My friend, Daria, invited me to make pu'ili with Hazel and tell you about her fabulous giveaways!! Daria is giving away a ukulele and a pair of pu'ili [POO' ee lee] which are Hawaiian rhythm sticks. Now she thought of us because she knows about Hazel's ukulele and knows how much Hazel loves to play it as well as any instrument really. We have even made our own ukulele. I should also add that Hawaii is my dream vacation. Steve has already been there, but it is the place I really want to go. One day I hope...

I So Want To Be Here!!

Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii
Source: By Turnstange (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Pu'ili Now Hazel loves to make musical instruments, so Daria suggested we try to make some pu'ili. She has a wonderful tutorial at her new blog, Tiny Tapping Toes, called Make Your Own Pu'ili Hawaiian Rhythm Sticks. We followed her easy tutorial using paper towel rolls, scissors, and duct tape.

Pu'ili are split bamboo rattles used by dancers as a rhythmic accompaniment to the hula. (Source: Hula Lullaby) One end of the pu'ili is hollow and slit. The other end of the pu'ili is solid.

From Daria

To make your own pu'ili, cut slits in one end of each tube. Then use the tape to close the other end.

After doing this, I let Hazel decorate them. Traditionally pu'ili are not decorated, but they are more fun for kids with decorations. We used stickers (the most tropical ones we could find in our supply).

 

Now we are going to try to play them along with some of the Hawaiian music we found at the library. Here are so me of the CDs we are listening to songs from.

Now we have also been enjoying some books with stories about Hawaii. We found the perfect book to go with our pu'ili craft, Hula Lullaby by Erin Eitter Kono. The story describes the instruments often heard at a hula dance and how Hawaiian mothers often think of the music as a lullaby to lull their babies to sleep. As we read it, Hazel told me she also wanted to make the pahu. The pahu is a large drum made from a hollowed out tree with a stretched sharkskin as the drumhead. (Soruce: Hula Lullaby)

We will be sharing more Hawaiian adventures as we dream of the warm sun and beach!! 

Until my next Hawaiian inspired post---Aloha!!