# data[].attributes.body
References

A Brief History of the Hula. (2018, February 1). Hawaii Ocean Project. Retrieved January 15, 2025, from https://hawaiioceanproject.com/a-brief-history-of-the-hula/

# data[].attributes.body
Summary; I learned from the website that people often associate hula with men and women in short grass skirts, rapidly gyrating their hips and twirling fire. Unfortunately, that's not hula dancing. That's a Polynesian form of dance, popular at luaus. No, hula, authentic hula, is a slower, soulful dance, primarily performed by women in full, formal dress. It is common to see men dancing the hula, as well, but generally it is a dance dominated by women. When it was actually dominated by men at first to train them for war.

Reflection; I think I should be able to research about hula because I really love hula. The way it makes me feel when I'm dancing. Hula makes me happy when I'm dancing. And I love the way you dance to hula and the music we dance to when dancing to hula.

References

A Brief History of the Hula. (2018, February 1). Hawaii Ocean Project. Retrieved January 15, 2025, from https://hawaiioceanproject.com/a-brief-history-of-the-hula/

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Hawaii Ocean Project | Maui Whale Watching Tours | Dinner Cruises

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
People often associate hula with men and women in short grass skirts, rapidly gyrating their hips and twirling fire. Unfortunately, that's not hula dancing. That's a Polynesian form of dance, popular at luaus. No, hula, authentic hula, is a slower, soulful dance, primarily performed by women in full, formal dress. It is common to see men dancing the hula, as well, but generally it is a dance dominated by women.

The origins of the hula are murky, at best. The first point of question is where the first hula was performed. The Big Island, Oahu, Kauai and Molokai all claim to be the birthplace of hula. The next issue is who first performed it. Some say Hopoe, a companion of the goddess Hi'iaka, was the first dancer. Others believe it was Kapo'ulakina'u (Kapo), the goddess of fertility who first danced the hula. Finally, a third myth says the first hula dancer was the navigator goddess Laka.

Even though the first hula dancer or even where the first hula took place can't be verified, what's interesting to historians is that these three myths revolve around goddesses. This directly refutes claims that in ancient times, hulas were only performed by men. This claim is further refuted when in 1778, Captain Cook landed on the island now known as Kauai and his crew members wrote about hula dances being performed by both men and women.

Between 1819 (marked by the death of Kamehameha I) and 1874, many Christian Hawaiians considered the hula immoral. So much so that in 1830, Queen Ka'ahumanu, a Christian convert, made it illegal to perform the hula in public places. Upon her death in 1832, many began ignoring the law and again performed in public. In 1874, Kalakaua became king, and during his reign the hula again became officially public. It was performed at both his 1883 coronation and an 1886 jubilee celebration.

In 1893, the Hawaiian monarchy fell. It would be nearly 100 years before the hula again became a part of the government celebrations.

Today, there are two primary forms of Hula. The first, hula kahiko, often referred to as traditional hula, is generally performed in the style used prior to 1894. Much of this form of hula was created in the praise of chiefs and honoring Hawaiian goddesses and/or gods. Hula kahiko does not use modern instruments like the ukulele or guitar. Instead, it uses things like rhythm sticks, gourds carved into drums and rattles, or bamboo sticks cut so they slap together.

The second form of hula performed today is called hula'auana, which combines the traditional form of hula with western influences like melodic harmonies and Christian morality tales. String instruments like the ukulele, steel guitars and bass guitars are often used to accompany the performers.

You can see hulas performed all over the state, from Kauai resorts to Wailea shopping malls to Oahu luaus and public gatherings. See if you can spot the difference between traditional hulas and the modern form.

By the way, did you know that you can now save $10/person on our Maui Princess Dinner Cruise or a Snorkel Adventure to the island of Lanai? Well you can! Just use the promo code VIP20 after clicking on this link: Hawaii Ocean Project Adventures .

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Brief History of the Hula - Hawaii Ocean Project | Maui Whale Watching Tours | Dinner Cruises

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
People often associate hula with men and women in short grass skirts, rapidly gyrating their hips and twirling fire. Unfortunately, that's not hula dancing.

# data[].attributes.body
Coons, C., & Takei, G. (n.d.). Reclaiming the Culture through Hula. National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://www.arts.gov/stories/magazine/2021/2/showing-strength-through-creativity-equity-and-access-arts-asian-americanpacific-islander/reclaiming-culture-through-hula

# data[].attributes.body
Summary; This website talks about reclaiming the future through hula and Vicky Holt's struggles to learn Hawaiian. When she went to college she had to take Latin instead of Hawaiian. Because her college said Hawaiian was not an acceptable language. But in order to do hula you have to study the language. So she used that as a ticket to do hula and learn Hawaiian. At 27 years old she graduated as a kumu hula. In 1997, after she taught hula for 20 years, Vicky learned of State Senate Bill 8, legislation that would restrict Native Hawaiians from gathering the natural and cultural resources that are vital for making adornments, conducting ceremonies, and the performance of hula. Vicky successfully mobilized other practitioners to protest the bill at the state legislature and marks this as the moment she became an activist.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I came from the Vietnam War era, so we were the flower children and protesting everything. We were the ones that initiated this Hawaiian renaissance in the '70s. When I graduated from Auntie Ma'iki, we were one of the first graduating classes, and we all went out and started our own schools and started to revive interest in Hawaiian cultural practices and Hawaiian language, and started Hawaiian language immersion school.

The hula has been responsible for reclaiming and retaining the Native Hawaiian language that was banned. My grandmother was not allowed to speak the language in school and was reprimanded for speaking Hawaiian. She had ten children, and not one of the ten children speak the language. I'm the oldest grandchild, and I was not taught the language. At my high school, I was not allowed to take Hawaiian language. [And at the university,] I had to take Latin because it was "college material"-they said Hawaiian language was not an acceptable language.

I see hula as resistance. I see hula as a tool for organizing community around issues that are facing Native Hawaiians. We have been able to reclaim our cultural practices through the hula. We have been able to regain our language through the hula. All the songs and dances, the chants, are in the Hawaiian language, and you have to study the language in order to be able to perform the hula, to understand the hula. Hula was my entrée into Hawaiian language, into Hawaiian culture.

Through the practice of hula there are other cultural traditions like ohe kapala (bamboo printmaking) and kapa (bark cloth making). We make all of our own drums, all of our own musical instruments for hula. It was a way to reclaim those traditions that had been lost or were at the brink of being lost.

"I see hula as resistance. I see hula as a tool for organizing community around issues that are facing Native Hawaiians."
A SUDDEN IMPACT
PA'I is the acronym of my hālau hula, the name of my Hawaiian dance school, Pua Ali'i 'Ilima. Pua means flower, ali'i means royalty, and 'ilima is a golden-yellow, orange blossom, the kino lau, or earthly manifestation, of the Hawaiian god Kāne. Kāne is the god of light, fresh water, and creation.

When we looked at starting the nonprofit, one of my students said, "What about PA'I?" I was like, "Wow." PA'I by itself means "sudden impact." PA'I also means "to slap." We like to think that we make an impact and make a difference in our community, so we really like that name.

The mission of PA'I Foundation is to preserve and perpetuate Native Hawaiian cultural traditions for future generations. Although I have my own hālau, it's not about me serving my school of dance. It's about serving the Native Hawaiian artists and cultural practitioners, our community, and the residents of Hawai'i by creating opportunities for our artists to share their culture with the broader community, not just here but [also] abroad.

I started our own little PA'I Arts and Cultural Center to [create a shared] space with other artists and cultural practitioners and to also offer resources, opportunities, and connections. [Through my work], I've been very fortunate to be introduced to people that I look up to, like Maria López De León, who is the president and CEO of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, Lori Lea Pourier (Oglala Lakota), president and CEO of First Peoples Fund, and Carlton Turner, former executive director of Alternate ROOTS-other leaders who are heading arts and community organizations that serve people of color. We've had such a great time working with each other and forming a bond. I've learned so much from them, and from sharing our artists' work with a broader community.

This pandemic has required all of us to shift to an online platform, and it's brought us new audiences. It's been really interesting to offer our space for workshops with some of our community artists. We've had people from Portugal and Japan and Mexico and New York, all across the world, join us on [virtual] workshops, where we would never have been able to host them [before]. The cost of coming to Hawai'i for some people is really expensive, but people are eager to participate in those [virtual] workshops.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Vicky Holt Takamine, founder of the PA'I Foundation, discusses why she has become an advocate for Native Hawaiian artists and cultural practitioners, the significance of Hawai'i's natural resources to their culture, and the meaning of PA'I.

# data[].attributes.body
Summary; Hula is very prominent in Hawaiian mythology, although there are differing stories about its origin. Did Laka, the goddess of dance, give birth to hula on the island of Molokai or did the forest goddess Hi’iaka invent it to calm her fiery sister Pele, the mistress of volcanoes? Maybe it was Pele’s expression of joy when she finally found a home where the waves of the ocean couldn’t reach her: deep within the craters of the Big Island of Hawaii. Whoever you ask, you may hear different legends, each one colorful and exciting in its own way. And Hula is also very expressive and tells stories when you dance Hula. Hula kahiko refers to hula as it was before Western culture started to influence Hawaii. Generally speaking, hula movements and chants that were developed before the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy are considered kahiko. Hula kahiko is performed standing or sitting and includes the use of traditional musical instruments. Instruments include drums and rattles made of gourds, shark skin, bamboo, and lava stone.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
History of Hula

What do you think of when you imagine Hawaii? Even if you've never visited before, it's a safe guess that "Hula" was one of the first words to come to mind. And with good reason: hula is one of the most deeply rooted and vividly alive expressions of Hawaiian culture.

You may have an image of beautiful girls in grass skirts moving gracefully to soft music in your head now. You're not completely wrong. Some styles of hula do look like that. But there's much more to this rich tradition than just beautiful movement in exotic costumes.

Legendary Hula

Hula is very prominent in Hawaiian mythology, although there are differing stories about its origin. Did Laka, the goddess of dance, give birth to hula on the island of Molokai or did the forest goddess Hi'iaka invent it to calm her fiery sister Pele, the mistress of volcanoes? Maybe it was Pele's expression of joy when she finally found a home where the waves of the ocean couldn't reach her: deep within the craters of the Big Island of Hawaii. Whoever you ask, you may hear different legends, each one colorful and exciting in its own way.

Origins of Hula

Historians believe the first Polynesian voyagers who made the long journey to Hawaii came from the Marquesa Islands, Tahiti, and Samoa. Similar styles of dance and storytelling exist on all the Polynesian Islands. However, hula is a distinct art form that developed over time on the Hawaiian Islands.

Hula Kahiko

Hula kahiko refers to hula as it was before Western culture started to influence Hawaii. Generally speaking, hula movements and chants that were developed before the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy are considered kahiko. Hula kahiko is performed standing or sitting and includes the use of traditional musical instruments. Instruments include drums and rattles made of gourds, shark skin, bamboo, and lava stone.

Hula kahiko includes ' oli, or chanting. The song and movement complement each other to tell stories or prayers. Hula kahiko is performed by both men and women, although seldom, if ever, together.

The History of Hula: 19th Century Bans

The history of hula is not without conflict. American missionaries first came to Hawaii in the early 19th century. They considered the hula tradition to be an expression of a pagan religion. For many years, laws banned public hula performances. Chanting, singing, and storytelling-all closely tied to hula-took an additional hit when the teaching of the Hawaiian language was prohibited in schools in 1896.

Throughout the 19th century, the Hawaiian royalty and people stuck to their old ways despite the ban. King Kalakaua, known as the Merrie Monarch, did more than anyone else to revive and encourage the culture and traditions of hula.

With the rise of tourism in the 20th century, the art form became known throughout the world. Many of the old songs and chants were lost. However, this allowed artists to create new interpretations and inventions; a whole new kind of hula was born. Today most luaus present an eclectic show of old and new, local dance, and other Polynesian styles.

Hula Auana

Modern hula, called hula auana, developed under the influence of Western culture. It is often accompanied by musical instruments, such as the guitar and ukulele, that were introduced by newcomers to the islands. This style of dance is often marked by graceful movement paired with melodious music and singing, although it can also be quite lively.

Today, both hula kahiko and hula auana are alive and very popular in Hawaii. If you go to a public event, a luau, or other traditional ceremonies, you will likely see dancers gracefully performing this ancient style of dance.

As most luaus try to educate guests on the culture and history of the islands, a hula demonstration or lesson is usually part of the entertainment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Hula is one of the most deeply rooted and vividly alive expressions of Hawaiian culture. However, the history of hula is complicated.

# data[].attributes.body
History of Hula. (2019, January 29). Hawaii Luaus. Retrieved January 22, 2025, from https://luaus.org/hula-in-hawaiian-culture/

# data[].attributes.body
Hula is told in a lot of stories passed down for ages in Hawaii and the way Hula was born is interesting. Because there are a lot of different stories about how Hula was born. Did Laka, the goddess of dance, give birth to hula on the island of Molokai or did the forest goddess Hi’iaka invent it to calm her fiery sister Pele, the mistress of volcanoes? There are a lot of stories about hula but no one really knows where it came from. People say hula is as old as the Hawaiian people and I think so too. I really love dancing Hula it's very fun and I love the music we dance to, and how we dance to the music.