Ipu Heke
3/11/01
As promised, here is a picture of my new Ipu Heke:
As you can see, it is made out of two gourds. The bottom gourd is connected to the top gourd by a hole where they are both glued together, and there is a hole in the top of the top gourd "where the sound comes out". The drum is held tightly in one hand by means of the cord, and either pounded on the ground (which makes a deep sound) or tapped with the fingers or palm of the other hand (which makes a higher sound).
Ipu Heke literally means "A gourd with a head". For being over 2 and a half feet tall, it is surprisingly light.
The ancient Hawaiians believed that before you could recieve teaching or inspiration, you needed to do cleansing. So the first couple of days of our workshop are spent preparing ourselves mentally by getting rid of various kinds of negativity. The Hawaiians have some exquisite techniques for doing this, cutting old patterns, allowing new insight and energies to flow. The difference between the classroom at 1PM yesterday and at 5PM was astounding, as people looked so much more relaxed and alive--the various stresses and pressures of their daily life had been laid down.
I had dinner with a couple of friends from Austrialia--we discussed everything from the Tarot to child rearing. One woman was a refugee from Romainia, a musician who refused to join the Communist Party. She ended up in Austrialia with her husband, and they are now doing business training--what a long strange life... I don't know what it is about this subject, but it attracts extremely interesting and likeable people! Today, more cleansing, and then tomorrow the classes begin again in earnest.
Thank you for reading.
Copyright © 2001 Pete Stevens. All rights reserved.
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