Pahu

The term "pahu" is a general word for drum in Hawaiian culture however, there are a variety of them. To fully understand the "pahu" as it pertains to dance, it's important to consider the following explanation.

Since the mid-1800s, the term "hula" has been widely used to encompass all aspects of Hawaiian dance. Historically, however, ancient Hawaiians used two distinct terms to describe dance movements. "Hula" specifically referred to formalized dance performed by humans in non-sacred contexts. In contrast, "haʻa" was the term used for formalized movements performed in sacred or mourning contexts. "Haʻa" was also performed by deities and non-human entities, including personified natural forces like flowers, birds, trees, winds, or lava, as well as puppets (kiʻi). The confusion between "hula" and "haʻa", particularly regarding the sacred nature of the dance, is largely attributed to Emerson, who did not differentiate between the two in early written accounts.