News Release
NPS Graphic/M.Newman
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Contact: Jessica Ferracane, 808-345-4216
Hawaii National Park, HAWAI‘I – The third episode in a new video series produced, created and hosted by Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park rangers, invites viewers to delve into the art of ipu heke ʻole, the single gourd drum used in Hawaiian hula.In Ipu Heke ʻOle, Ranger Sean Hoʻolaʻi Miday travels to Keauhou and crafts an ipu heke ʻole with gourd master Kalim Smith. Smith reveals the passion he has for growing and shaping the gourds, an intricate process that involves hand pollinating the plants, constructing trellises so they grow perfectly shaped before they are harvested nine months after planting. He shows Ranger Sean how to clean the ipu (gourd), file the rough edges where it opens at the top, and how to treat it with kukui oil. The rhythmic beat of the ipu heke ‘ole reverberates in the background as the pair are engulfed in the process of the uniquely Hawaiian art.
The purpose of the new video series, titled ʻIke Hana Noʻeau (Experience the Skillful Work), is to share Hawaiian culture beyond the park to homes and classrooms anywhere. In Ipu Heke ʻOle, the bond between the artist and his gourd drum resonates throughout the 18-minute film, and the viewer finishes with a deeper appreciation of ipu heke ‘ole and the labor of love that is poured into each instrument.
The short documentary ‘Ike Hana Noʻeau films are both “talk story” and tutorial and spark a connection to traditional Hawaiian lifestyle practices. In the first two films, viewers are introduced to local practitioners who share the methods of kuʻi kalo (making poi) and weaving lei lāʻī (ti leaf lei) in beautiful settings on the island of Hawaiʻi.
All three videos are shared on the park website, go.nps.gov/ike and YouTube pages. Big Island Television, which airs in more than 6,000 hotel rooms on the island of Hawaiʻi and on Spectrum channel 130, will also broadcast the ʻIke Hana Noʻeau videos to a wide audience.
The videos were produced by the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park ‘Ike Hana Noʻeau team which consists of Park Rangers Keoni Kaholoʻaʻā, Sean Miday, Daniel Anekelea Hübner, and Lanihuli Kanahele. The hui (team) members are kānaka maoli (native Hawaiians) who are passionate about the perpetuation and sharing of their culture through the use of media. Each video is around 20 minutes in duration, and all are accessible with audio description, closed captions and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi translation.
The park’s non-profit partners, the Friends of Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and the Hawaiʻi Pacific Parks Association, helped support the success of the ʻIke Hana Noʻeau video project.
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Last updated: May 4, 2022