Gourds are used throughout the world for utilitarian, musical, and spiritual functions. In Polynesia, where the volcanic and coral land lacks clay for pottery and metal for manufacturing, the uses and artistry of the gourd reached an advanced level. This is seen particularly in Hawaii, where gourds of all shapes and sizes were transformed into serving at least 43 separate functions! Many were decorated with precise geometric patterns. Gourds were so highly valued that special care was taken in their planting, cultivation and harvest.
The gourds that were brought to Hawaii through hundreds of years of Polynesian migration were the same Lagenaria Siceraria gourds that occur throughout the temperate regions of the world. Special cultivation procedures may have produced some specimens uniquely qualified for their intended use, and indeed there were some huge gourds used for the storage of food and cloth.
In Hawai'i, gourd drums were used to accompany chanting during festive as well as spiritual occasions. In ancient Hawaii, as handed down through the Hawaiian oral tradition, and as depicted in early explorers' drawings, the main gourd drum was known as the Ipu Hula or Ipu Heke (pronounced EE-poo-HEH-kay), which was made out of two gourds: a larger, longer bottom gourd called the 'Olo (OH-low); and, joined at the neck, a smaller, far shorter gourd called the Heke, which means "top".
Visitors to Hawaii today, upon seeing this drum, often believe it is a single gourd of a variety unique to Hawaii, until they are shown where the two gourds are joined.
With the introduction of foreign disease pests, particularly the fruit fly, gourds growing in Hawaii began to die out. During this decline as gourds became rarer, the Hawaiian drum was adapted from a double gourd drum to a single gourd drum, known as the Ipu (EE-poo), and the variety used was the bottle shape. Today gourds are no longer grown commercially in Hawaii, and most gourds are imported from California.
Ann is also the author a really nice manual entitled "How to Play the Ipu". Here is a brief excerpt from that manual, entitled "Ipu Etiquette".
Ipu etiquette has grown out of the Hawaiian respect for all items associated with the hula's origins as a sometimes ceremonial accompaniment to religious or important rituals. All hula implements are placed into position carefully, never shoved or pushed across a floor or other surface. If you are kneeling on the floor with your ipu, you should rise up and carry it to its next place.
Stories of the gourd's great importance appear in Hawaiian myths and legends as far back as the Kumulipo (creation and genealogy chant.) Gourds served a multiplicity of uses in Hawaii, where the land lacks clay for pottery and iron for metal. Superstition and magical thinking accompanied the gourd from seed to harvest, in the efforts to ensure the proper growth and shape of this rare and fragile crop.
Some ipu etiquette beliefs are not universal to all hula halaus, but are incorporated within an individual halau's tradition. For instance, we are taught to hold the ipu upright, that it should not be inverted or tipped down past the horizontal, or else "the knowledge will fall out." There is a saying that a learned person is called "Ka ipu o ka 'ike" = "A container of knowledge."
In addition to their wonderful gourd drums, The Gourd Connection also produces many decorative gourds which are featured at many craft fairs in and around San Diego. They are popular choices for Christmas gifts. If you would like more information about decorative gourds, gourd drums, or are interested in obtaining a drum or obtaining instruction manuals or cassettes, give Anne a call or drop her an e-mail. I would like to thank Anne for contributing this week's feature.
If you would like to contribute a weekly feature, drop me a note at gohawaii.guide@about.com.
The material and photos in this article are provided and used with the permission of Anne Blankenship of the Gourd Connection, 3210 Garrison St., San Diego, CA 92106-2110. Phone (619) 224-3301. Anne can also be reached by e-mail at alohaipu@pacbell.net.
