History of Hula | mauihula

The History of HulA

"The language of our heart, therefore the heart beat of the Hawaiian people."

King David Kalakaua

The dance known as hula was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by their original Polynesian settlers, who migrated there by canoes from southeastern Pacific islands beginning in the fifth century. Two-way voyaging continued for several centuries, during which people brought domesticated animals, plant seeds and trees, and all the different cultural necessities for life on these uninhabited islands. Other ethnic groups have come to Hawaii since the first European contact in 1778. Western and Asian settlers have contributed to Hawaii's present multicultural dance culture. The hula, however, has remained largely uninfluenced by other dance traditions.

The origins of hula are contained in many legends. One story describes the adventures of Hi'iaka, who danced to appease her fiery sister, the volcano goddess Pele. The Hi'iaka story provides the basic foundation for many present-day dances. As late as the early twentieth century, ritual and prayer surrounded all aspects of hula training and practice. Teachers and students were dedicated to Laka, goddess of the hula, and appropriate offerings were made regularly. Many halau still practice this today.

Hula is now highly visible, especially in two annual competitions. At the Merrie Monarch Festival on the island of Hawaii, male and female groups compete in hula kahiko and hula 'auana categories, and solo female dancers vie for the title Miss Aloha Hula. The King Kamehameha Traditional Hula and Chant Competition on Oahu features competitions for male, female, and mixed groups in hula kahiko and hula 'auana. Popularity also comes from the introduction by younger choreographers of faster and flashier movement designed to maintain visual interest, since audiences no longer understand the Hawaiian-language text in most songs.

The term hula refers to movement and gestures. Hula, however, cannot be performed without mele or song, the most important component. Mele are records of cultural information ranging from sacred mele pule and mele inoa to topical mele ho'oipoipo or love song and mele 'aina a song praising the land. The type of mele used is one way of classifying the dances. Allusion is greatly valued in the poetry, and hula gestures are a secondary level of abstraction. They do not tell the entire story but rather interpret key aspects of the mele. The concept of hula therefore involves mele and its recited realization in performance.

In Hula the most commonly used instruments are the ipu or dried gourd, the 'uli'uli or feather-decorated gourd rattle, the pu'ili or split bamboo rattle, the 'ili'ili or stone pebbles, two in each hand, and kala'au or wooden sticks. Also very popular is the pahu drum. It is a low sounding drum that helps to keep time.

The hula kahiko, or ancient form of the dance, was and still is performed in traditional costume, accompanied by chanting and traditional percussion instruments, whilst the hula 'auana, or modern version of the dance, is more likely to be accompanied by modern instruments such as the ukelele and guitar. The costumes also are more modern, ranging from simple skirts and tops to elaborate Victorian outfits and, for the hotel circuit, plastic "grass" skirts and coconut bras. The hula has 3 purposes: to entertain, to inspire and to instruct. It is a cultural vehicle for social and historical commentary and passing of information. The dances and chants contain a magic that transcends their external power and beauty, filling both dancer and audience with Aloha.

The earliest forms of Hawaiian dances, the mele hula, were used either in their temple foms (ha'a) or their public forms (hula). Ha'a were usually performed as part of worship in the heiau (temple), under the direction of a kahuna (priest). These dances were often done in conjunction with rituals and ceremonies related to the specific temple and also to specific deities within those temples. Some of these were like a form of worship, paying homage to the gods with tales of their exploits. Other hula honoured the ali'I - the chiefs and royalty - whose genealogies often linked them to the gods. It was also danced for pleasure, with themes filled with deeply felt emotions. There was mana or life force and spiritual energy in the words, in the precision of the performance, in the discipline and harmony of the dancers' movements, and in their spiritual composure, a sacred continuum that linked gods with man and nature.

Every movement, expression and gesture in the hula has a specific meaning, from representing plants, animals, and the elements to listening, searching, sailing and so much more. The hand movements are of particular significance, with a good hula dancer watching their hands at all times and not the audience. Chants accompany the dance and assist in telling the story.

" Kuhi no ka lima, hele no ka maka " - Where the hands move, there let the eyes follow.

Regardless of the subject, the hula was danced with spirituality, an ever-present part of the experience for both dances and audience. In both the hula and the chants are recorded the cultural history of the Hawaiian people, with legends, traditions, genealogies and history being preserved and passed down. The chants or mele for the hula are the integral narrative, filled with deeply felt emotion. Being without a written language, the dancers had to memorize the chants being performed.

Musical accompaniment is an essential element of the hula. In the older form, some instruments are played by the chanters, with sharkskin drums, pahu, and gourd drums, ipu or ipu heke, being the chief accompaniment.The chanter's voice also plays a crucial role in setting the tone and emotion of the dance.

The costumes of the ancient dances consisted a pa'u or skirt made of tapa, a kind of cloth made from the bark of certain trees; leis for the head, neck, and wrists made from plants; and anklets often made of dog teeth, shells, seeds, or whale bones.

All hula in former times were preceded and followed by prayers, blessings and other ritual. Chants to Laka were performed, an altar was built on the eastern wall of the halau, the dancing school or building, symbolic of the life-giving force of the sunrise. Dancers bathed frequently and offerings to Laka were ritually cleansed and sprinkled with salt water.

All skilled hula dancers exhibit good posture, which adds to the sacredness and dignity of the dance and sets the hula apart from other forms of Poylnesian dance. The dancers posssess a feeling of harmony, balance and control. When choosing haumana, students, many qualities were looked for, such as dedication, grace, posture and respect. To be chosen as a student of hula was a great honour. Both the kumu, teacher, and the best dancers were highly respected and would often make a life long commitment to the dance.

Training in a hula school was strict, with adherence to kapu, rules, being stringent. The kapu varied through the different schools, however certain codes of conduct such as personal cleanliness, not cutting hair or nails, abstinence from sexual activity, and restrictions of certain foods were usual.

The students danced on a platform with an altar dedicated to Laka,

decorated with vines and flowers in her honour. The graduation was a

special ceremony performed with a strict protocol. The students stayed

in the halau for several days rehearsing, making leis, offering prayers and

undergoing purification rituals. The graduation was then followed by a feast

and a ritual dismantling and sacred disposal of the altar.

Formality of ceremony, ritual, etiquette and protocol are very important to

the hula halau. From the choosing of the materials for and the making of

the leis that adorn head, wrists, ankles and neck, to the prayers performed before performances, to the dressing for a performance and the disposal of the leis afterward, often in the ocean, everything was done with ritual and respect.

As Christianity began to dominate Hawaiian culture, all forms of the hula began to disappear. Because it was a symbol of the islands' aboriginal culture, its gods and spiritual beliefs, and because some of the movements were naturally suggestive, the hula was not kindly looked upon by the missionaries in the 1820's, and was banned until King David Kalakaua restored it to a position of honor and respect some 50 years later.

Before the missionaries even arrived in Hawaii, however, the Hawaiian religious system was destroyed by internal forces. In 1819 King Liholiho Kamehameha gave the order to close the temples and cast out the priests, which dealt a severe blow to the sacred hula. The coming of the missionaries, who viewed any hula as "lewd" and "lascivious" and subversive to their endeavours to rid the Hawaiians of their "heathen" past, gradually put an end to the public performance of the other hula forms until the time of King Kalakaua. It was only due to the many hula masters who preserved the hula tradition in patient silence that this cultural heritage still exists. Today hula troupes and schools are thriving in Hawaii and are proliferating both in Hawaii and around the world.

Hula is definitely a tradition thet will never die. As a culuture, we Hawaiians embrace

the rich traditions that lie within Hula. Hula has come a long way and

continues to beat strong within the hearts and lands of Hawaii and its people.

We need to remember that Hula is truly a gift given to all of us. We must embrace

it and share it with all.

References