Living arts, such as voyaging, fishing practices, dance forms or fighting forms of the Pacific Islanders today are traditions passed down from a long and ancient genealogy. Through force and manipulation, colonialists around the globe subjugated their these indigenous people and depleted their cultural resources, such the people, lands and traditions. Because foreign influence and culture has been a part of the Kanaka Maoli for many generations, non traditional changes can sneak into to one's indigenous art if one is not careful. We all live in a modern, updated society, as we still hold on to the older arts forms from pre contact era. Traditional arts such as Lua and Hula are also adapting to a modern lifestyle, as this is also true for all cultural practices worldwide. Hula has its Auwana style or its adapted form from its older Kahiko form of haa or dance.
Lua is slowly moving into this phase. For a practitioner to understand one's own art, that person must know the foundation or source of their arts genealogy and lineage very well. In order to be creative and increase one's knowledge and skill, changes must occur for the art to survive and grow. However, there is a certain structure that is the foundation of one's art and that is what keeps the art grounded and tied to its origins and lineage. A good practitioner must have a detailed understanding of their traditional forms, as subtle changes to the practitioner's art (from being raised in a foreign culture) can be absorbed in one's art over time if details are not addressed, explained and corrected. With each generation of new practitioners there will be a new knot added to the cord of teachers. These new practitioners will always be influenced by the non indigenous cultural norms that are part of society today. Those kumu of old, that haku and created the mele of their art form, have certain guidelines and a framework that they must know by training, intuition and deep knowledge. This comes from years of experience and insight. Those masters that created their signature and root forms of one's art were exceptional people with a gift. These forms were created in a time that is different from our time now. It suited a purpose, for a specific time and a need. This creation of form could have been be guided by inspiration, a dream or by the ancestors of these masters. These forms are the treasures that build the structure that we use in our foundation. Some forms should be kept to their original structure as they are time tested, consecrated and ceremonially accepted by those that they were created for in a time of magic and myth. Those that create today, are creating for their time and these may also be time tested through ceremonial use and consecrated if they meet the standards. What we need to be careful with are those foreign influences that may sneak in and mesh with the old. There is nothing wrong with adding these types of changes, however it must be stated and known to all, that these forms are not part of the root forms but of another branch, so it is clear to all future practitioners that there is a bold line that separates the two.
There can be seen some traditional forms that have an influence of the colonial culture within it claiming to be of a pre contact era. It could be the instructor is unaware of the subtle changes or these changes are part of the performers own influence. There are many factors involved to create this. That is why there needs to be the mole or root forms within one's art, which helps to ground the practitioner to remind us that in its simplistic origins, there remains the source and foundation that strengthens an arts progression.
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