“He pao’o lekei
A leaping pao’o fish.
Said of one who is never idle.”
When one seriously commits to an art or a cultural practice like hula, there is never an idle moment. There is so much to learn and do! While this appears to any practice, it particularly applies to hula. It includes training the body with regular practice to learn the dance and training the mind through translation and research of the chant. that is the foundation of the dance. True understanding and insight arise from taking time to contemplate (not just ruminate) and meditate.
I shall always remember my la’au lapa’au teacher, Henry Allen Auwae’s five expectations for us training to be la’au lapa’au (healing with plants and spirituality) practitioners. They hold true for any discipline: Ho’olohe (being listening), Ho’omakaukau (being prepared), Ho’omaika’I (respecting all), Ho’olauna i Ka Mea Maika’I (being willing to sacrifice), and Ho’omanawanui (being patient).
Our Hula chants have a wealth of information. There is one that talks about the hidden waters of the pao’o fish. There are 14 different varieties of pao’o in Hawaii. These fish are recognized by having a kind of eyelash and are famous for jumping. They can even travel from tidepool to tidepool. (Pelika Bertelmann).
According to Dr. Kenji Pila Kikuchi, “In the old days, fresh water would drip off the rocks very slowly and run out to the ocean. People did not know that this was fresh water. The fish would climb up into the cracks and hide themselves and when men visited the area, the fish scampered off, jumping back into the ocean.
The strange behavior of these little fish was noticed and when the men went to investigate, they found fresh water. So they cleaned out the crevices in the rock and built a little punawai to catch the water for drinking. With water so precious and sparse, all punawai were kept clean and cared for. The reason for the name hidden waters of the Pao’o is because the little fish kept these waters for themselves and hid in the pools.”
Things can get overwhelming for us when we are always moving. Know how to pause, breathe deeply, and put one foot in front of the other with patience. Sacrifice ways of being like procrastination that you know only holds you back. Respect all including challenges for they will help you to grow. Be prepared with generous attention. Listen to your whole body mind and know how to take care good of yourself. Then leap, like the pao’o fish.
Malama pono (take good care of body, mind, heart),
Kumu/Roshi June Kaililani Tanoue