the bones live essay reseach
think about how to make the audience see the importance and meaning of the ritual; in a way that makes it easier for the audience to imagine what it would feel like to have that ritual be something important to them
so, "playing with" the audience's emotions to try and get them to tap into a mindset/emotion so they can understand what the tradition mean to the hawaiian people
maybe also explore how fatu is hawaiin, but doesn't appreciate the tradition?
like exploring the question: why does he react in such a way?
why does he think it's weird?
pg. 172, act 1: sprinkling themselves with salt water and ti leaf
questions
what is "polynesian"
what is "samoan person"
general scene notes
this scene happens after the "playing area" scene of the phrenologist
at the end of the phrenologist scene, the phrenologist says quietly that they are asking for volunteers(?) to help advance research by giving specimens from "heathen tribes"
is there connection between the scenes before and after the ritual scene?
staging consideration: adding a bgm or background sound that is familiar to a larger audience (but relevant to the cultural scene), while showing the scene
salt is generally used for healing, cooking, rituals, and protection
must never be sold
recently, salt patches have been in danger due to climate change
pollution (from a neighboring airfield)
tourists littering
sand erosion from vehicle traffic
rising sea levels
rainfalls
ppl can think of working on these patches as a spiritual connection to the land
one way hawaiin ppl can think of the land is: mountains as the church, and the waters for cleansing
salt-making is a centuries-old tradition
1893, the US helped overthrow the hawaii's monarchy and took away pieces of land that included salt patches
not sure if it's explicitly yet; have to research on that
not sure if this is related to the overthrow, but apparently, according to a piece of paper, the hawaiins are not the original "owners" of the land
though the hawaiians refer to themselves as guardians of the land, the land is still taken from them
trading salt was common
ppl used to be able to trade gallons, but now can only trade in small amounts like in plastic bags and stuff
the importance of salt is still shown today, as recently with the fires of maui
spiritual practitioners requested white Hanapepe salt from Nobrega-Olivera to bless and “calm” the traumatized island
salt makers continue to send their salt to survivors who are rebuilding their lives, so they can “make their food delicious and bring some of that joy into their lives" (national post)
spiritual practitioners believe that Hanapepe salt has the power to ward off bad energy.
healing
hawaiin ppl cannot simply just "move to another location" and start a salt patch
because salt is special to that land: hawaii
"There are elements here that make this place special for making this type of salt. You cannot find that anywhere else.” (national post)
"sharing is hawaiin": meaning, sharing is a part of hawaiian culture
the most recent scene before the ritual scene with mina and fatu, are when they are at the bar(?) with gustav
scene 5
seems like they were thinking/talking about how to get the bones?
refers to kawehi as a "suspect"?
working with gustav to find the bones(?) but not trusting him entirely
salt water is used to purify people and areas of land
ti leaves have a cleansing, "clearing effect"
similarly, to how Europeans use lavendar and rosemary
for hawaiians, has crystalline energy.
working and having a connection between physical and spiritual realm
when someone needs spiritual clearing, salt is rubbed onto the body
why were fatu and mina cleansing themselves with ti leaf and salt water after their interaction with gustav? or is it not related to the meeting of gustav at all, nor the "sticky" situation of trying to find someone and the bones?
seems like they were trying to find kawehi's boyfriend, who they seemed to know that he had the bones
jamison?
is that nick's last name?
hinted that nick wasn't hawaiian, so that might be an indicator that when mina and fatu were referring to "jamison", they meant erik?
on the casting page, fatu is said to be part samoan
mina is part hawaiin
general charater/story notes
mrs. mahler is german
scotland yard (police) owes the museum for something, but mrs. mahler doesn't say what for
stops mid-sentence and just simplifies so explaining to gustav that the police owes them (the museum?)
fatu is an inspector from scotland yard, supposed to be on leave, but "called back to work" by mrs. mahler
to help look for kawehi
fatu and gustav first meet at a bar (with the waitress scene)
introductions and discussing the missing artifacts, and supposedly, the "importance" of bringing back the artifacts/bones to the german museum
is there a ritual that specifically uses ti leaves and salt water?
i've been able to find a ritual with salt water/salt, but not with ti leaves...
fatu thinking it's weird, even though he's part hawaiin?
why does mina specifically mention the woman living in jamison's (erik's) flat?
is she mentioning kawehi because she thinks that kawehi "stole" the bones from the museum?
apparently, according to kawehi, there has been "talks" about returning the bones to their rightful places
but kawehi distrusts those words
if carried with someone, it means to bring positive blessing
ti leaves can also be used with other plants to be "made into" a lei
worn in special occassions
such as weddings, anniversaries, graduation, etc.
apparently, according to the playing area scene, fatu has seen nanea from somewhere? (pg. 18 of pdf)
happens before going to the costume party (they planned to go to some costume party while having drinks with gustav)
also, before going to kawehi's house (just mina and fatu)
to check out if she had the bones
Pikai brings a sense of protection from influences felt to be unclean or harmful. (wordpress bookmark on pc)
in the context of the story: mina and fatu are getting into the "dirty work" of trying to find the bones, and trying to track down kawehi to find the bones
using water as a means of purification was utilized before contact with Christian faith/western influence
pikai helps relieve the fear of the unknown (outcomes and such)
hawaiians seem to be often told to let go of old traditions to "adapt to the new" (wordpress blog by a hawaiian person)
makes it hard to form a strong sense of identity
after a colonial government system invaded hawaiian way of life, many hawaiians were practically kicked out because of high costs of living there
the governments and some fake-ass "hawaiian" organizations were turning the political tables n stuff for their personal gain
see wordpress: understanding hawaiians post
if they go through this ritual to cleanse of bad things before "getting their hands dirty", it might be similar to how some ppl pray before going into a dirty conflict
hoping things go well?
good luck?
side thought: maybe she's the one who took the bones from the museum, as a way of taking matters into her own hands