HULA, THE POLYNESIAN DANCE IN THE HAWAII ISLANDS

The Stones and The Grandma continue their staying in Honolulu. They are still at the hotel, confined, waiting for thepermission of the local authorities to go out.

It is a great and luxurious hotels with a lot of activities to do and enjoy. Tonight, the family has discovered what Hula is, its history and its cultural signification.

Hula is a Polynesian dance form accompanied by chant (Oli) or song (Mele, which is a cognate of meke from the Fijian language). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of the oli or mele in a visual dance form.

There are many sub-styles of hula, with the main two categories being Hula ʻAuana and Hula Kahiko. Ancient hula, as performed before Western encounters with Hawaiʻi, is called kahiko. It is accompanied by chant and traditional instruments.

Hula, as it evolved under Western influence in the 19th and 20th centuries, is called ʻauana, a word that means to wander or drift. It is accompanied by song and Western-influenced musical instruments such as the guitar, the ʻukulele, and the double bass.

Terminology for two main additional categories is beginning to enter the hula lexicon: Monarchy includes any hula which were composed and choreographed during the 19th century. During that time the influx of Western culture created significant changes in the formal Hawaiian arts, including hula. Ai Kahiko, meaning in the ancient style are those hula written in the 20th and 21st centuries that follow the stylistic protocols of the ancient hula kahiko.

There are also two main positions of a hula dance: either sitting (noho dance) or standing (luna dance). Some dances utilize both forms.

In the 1890s and early 1900s, hula dancers and Hawaiian musicians toured the U.S. mainland. This advertisement appeared in an Ohio newspaper in 1921.

More information: Kaimi

Hula dancing is a complex art form, and there are many hand motions used to represent the words in a song or chant. For example, hand movements can signify aspects of nature, such as the swaying of a tree in the breeze or a wave in the ocean, or a feeling or emotion, such as fondness or yearning. Foot and hip movements often pull from a basic library of steps including the kaholo, kaʻo, kawelu, hela, ʻuwehe, and ʻami.

There are other related dances (tamure, hura, 'aparima, 'ote'a, haka, kapa haka, poi, Fa'ataupati, Tau'olunga, and Lakalaka) that come from other Polynesian islands such as Tahiti, The Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand; however, the hula is unique to the Hawaiian Islands.

Hula kahiko, often defined as those hula composed prior to 1894 which do not include modern instrumentation, such as guitar, ʻukulele..., encompasses an enormous variety of styles and moods, from the solemn and sacred to the frivolous. Many hula were created to praise the chiefs and performed in their honor, or for their entertainment. Types of hula kahiko include ʻālaʻapapa, haʻa, ʻolapa, and many others. Today hula kahiko is simply stated as Traditional Hula.

Many hula dances are considered to be a religious performance, as they are dedicated to, or honoring, a Hawaiian goddess or god. As was true of ceremonies at the heiau, the platform temple, even a minor error was considered to invalidate the performance. It might even be a presage of bad luck or have dire consequences.

Dancers who were learning to do such hula necessarily made many mistakes. Hence they were ritually secluded and put under the protection of the goddess Laka during the learning period. Ceremonies marked the successful learning of the hula and the emergence from seclusion.

Hula kahiko is performed today by dancing to the historical chants. Many hula kahiko are characterized by traditional costuming, by an austere look, and a reverence for their spiritual root.

Hawaiian history was oral history. It was codified in genealogies and chants, which were memorized and passed down. In the absence of a written language, this was the only available method of ensuring accuracy. Chants told the stories of creation, mythology, royalty, and other significant events and people.

The‘Ōlelo No’eau, Hawaiian saying or proverb, ‘O ‘oe ka lua’ahi o kāu mele, translates loosely as You bear both the good and the bad consequences of the poetry you compose.

The idea behind this saying originates from the ancient Hawaiian belief that language possessed mana, or power derived from a spiritual source particularly when delivered through oli (chant). Therefore, skillful manipulation of language by haku mele (composers) and chanters was of utmost reverence and importance. Oli was an integral component of ancient Hawaiian society, and arose in nearly every social, political and economic aspect of life. The instruments used are:

-Ipu—single gourd drum

-Ipu heke—double gourd drum

-Pahu—sharkskin covered drum; considered sacred

-Puniu—small knee drum made of a coconut shell with fish skin (kala) cover

-ʻIliʻili—water-worn lava stone used as castanets

-ʻUlīʻulī—feathered gourd rattles (also ʻulili)

-Pūʻili—split bamboo sticks

-Kālaʻau—rhythm sticks

More information: Go Hawaii

Traditional female dancers wore the everyday pāʻū, or wrapped skirt, but were topless. Today this form of dress has been altered. As a sign of lavish display, the pāʻū might be much longer than the usual length of tapa, or barkcloth, which was just long enough to go around the waist. Dancers might also wear decorations such as necklaces, bracelets, and anklets, as well as many lei (lei poʻo), necklaces, bracelets, and anklets (kupeʻe), and other accessories.

A skirt of green kī (Cordyline fruticosa) leaves may also be worn over the pāʻū. They are arranged in a dense layer of around fifty leaves. Kī were sacred to the goddess of the forest and the hula dance Laka, and as such, only kahuna and aliʻi were allowed to wear kī leaf leis (lei lāʻī) during religious rituals.

Traditional male dancers wore the everyday malo, or loincloth. Again, they might wear bulky malo made of many yards of tapa. They also wore necklaces, bracelets, anklets, and lei.

The materials for the lei worn in performance were gathered in the forest, after prayers to Laka and the forest gods had been chanted.

Modern hula arose from adaptation of traditional hula ideas (dance and mele) to Western influences. The primary influences were Christian morality and melodic harmony. Hula ʻauana still tells or comments on a story, but the stories may include events since the 1800s. The costumes of the women dancers are less revealing and the music is heavily Western-influenced.

More information: Hawaii History

Hula is the art of Hawaiian dance,

which expresses all we see,
smell, taste, touch, feel, and experience.
It is joy, sorrow, courage, and fear.

 

Robert Cazimero