Dancing the Hawaiian Language: Mele Hula’s Indigenizing Power in Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s The Paʻakai We Bring

Honolulu Theatre for Youth’s (HTY) 2022 play The Paʻakai We Bring shows the indigenizing power of devising new works for theatre for young audiences. Integrating the Hawaiian language and hula draws Kanaka Maoli epistemology and ontology into the performance space of this play and draws audiences into a relationship with Hawaiian culture and land. This article examines HTY’s history and the play using Hawaiian scholarship about aloha ʻāina, the love one has for the land, and hula. It examines how HTY indigenizes the plays they produce, the significant effect the plays have on youth in Hawaiʻi, and how they demonstrate survivance.