HULA

“Hula is the language of the heart and, therefore, the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people”    

King David (Kawika) La’amea Kalakaua

Many people relate hula with scantily-clad, pretty women in grass skirts dancing on the beautiful beaches of Hawaii.  The reality is that hula has a long, important history in the Hawaiian culture.  It’s beginnings date back long before the written word was available in the Hawaiian Islands.  Hula was the historical library of the Hawaiian culture as it was the way the legends, the folklore and the history of Hawaii and it’s people were passed from generation to generation.  Each generation learning it identically from the previous to keep the history preserved for future generations to understand and learn.

Hula actually has two components  - the dance and the mele.  The mele is the poetry – in modern terms, the lyrics of the song - and is actually the most important aspect of hula. The mele can either be sung or chanted either in a rhythmic or non-rhythmic manner. The hula dance doesn’t literally translate the mele but instead captures its main aspects or meanings.

Today, there are two common types of hula – the hula kahiko (ancient hula) and the hula auana (modern hula). Most of us are familiar with the hula auana. The hula is generally accompanied by a Hawaiian band made up of a singer or group of singers accompanied by a ukulele, guitar and a bass player or some combination. More often than not, the musicians are also the singers.  Hula kahiko is performed in traditional costumes accompanied by chanting and percussive instruments to relate the history, traditions, legends  and ceremonies of ancient Hawaiian culture.