Uluwehi Guerrero is one of the top Hawaiian musicians in the state, winner of the prestigious Na Hoku Hanohano title for Best Male Vocalist and part of a renaissance of traditional island culture and music. When he’s not travelling the world as an ambassador of Hawaiian music and culture, he makes his home in Maui, where we caught up with him hard at work on his next album, due in the spring of 2007.
Q: What do you think is behind the current renaissance of Hawaiian music?
A: About twenty years ago, the Hawaiian language started coming back into the school system. A lot of people don't realise that our language was almost dead, and that its resurgence helped revive the whole culture. Hawaiian wasn't a written language until the missionaries came—everything used to be passed down orally through oli, or chants. I keep these parts of our history alive through my songs. These traditional songs passed down by my grandparents and my kapuna (elders) are snapshots of our history, from olden times, before photographs and recording devices.
Q: Do you see the resurgence in Hawaiian music and culture affecting island tourism?
A: I travelled with the Maui Visitors Bureau for many years, prior to becoming a full-time recording artist and music and dance teacher. I saw that travellers are now more aware of where to go, they're smarter, they do research on the Internet. We have a lot of people who come back year after year to Maui, and once they've done all the beaches and beautiful resorts, a lot of them come back asking to be involved in cultural events. In fact, a lot of people now base their vacations on cultural events. They want to become more involved in the community. By taking the time to find out what the local people are like, they get invited into homes, to the backyard luaus, and they love it. It's what makes folks come back year after year. They love the people. I can really honestly say people from Maui are really hospitable and want to share their culture.
Q: Where are some places in the Islands to hear some quality live Hawaiian music?
A: The Royal Hawaiian and The Moana Surfrider, two of the nicer hotels on Waikiki, both have great outdoor music venues right on the beach, usually with hula, too. On Maui, the Renaissance Wailea Beach Resort has an excellent outdoor bar with Hawaiian sunset music nightly. The Maui Arts & Cultural Centre is a world-class venue, busy throughout year with local entertainers and dancers. Very popular with island residents. The Festival of Canoes happens every May on Maui, with a myriad of singers, music, and dancers from all over the South Pacific. Different carvers come to craft the canoes, and it's a full week of entertainment ending with big celebration under the huge banyan tree in Lahaina. The annual Merrie Monarch Festival is the Olympics of Hawaiian dance and music. Every April during the Festival, the town of Hilo on the Big Island explodes with visitors, vendors, and cultural happenings.
Maui Arts & Cultural Centre
One Cameron Way, Kahului
+1 808 242 2787
International Festival of Canoes
Lahaina, Maui
May 12 - May 26, 2007
+1 888 310 1117
Merrie Monarch Festival
c/o Hawaii Naniloa Resort
93 Banyan Drive, Suite 234
Hilo, Hawaii
April 8-14, 2007
+1 808 935 9168
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