Hula is a traditional Hawaiian dance form that was performed by natives while reciting religious chants and playing sacred instruments. Though it is not certain when the hula started, it is believed that the Polynesians, who migrated to the islands of Hawaii, were the original people to practice this art. The chant recited while performing it is referred to as mele. The hula dance movements accentuate the mele.

There are numerous styles of this dance form, which are generally classified in two major categories: Hula Kahiko and Hula Auana. The kahiko is the ancient form of hula widely practiced by the natives before they came in contact with westerners and auana evolved during the 1800s and 1900s under the influence western invaders.

The hula created before 1893 belongs to the traditional variety of dance form, hula kahiko. The dance form is quite complex and involves a variety of motions to portray different meanings such as the elements of nature, entertaining and honoring their leaders and even praising the fertility of their chiefs. There are many types of hula including olapa and haa.

Many of these hula dances were performed during religious ceremonies. The performers had to follow strict protocols while performing Hula during the ceremonies held at the platform temple, called heiau, as even the slightest mistake was enough to annul the ceremony. It was considered an inauspicious happening that could bring bad luck and problems. While learning this intricate art, dancers were expected to make many errors and therefore were isolated ritually and put under the protective care of the goddess Laka until they attained perfection. Special ceremonies were held to mark the successful completion of the learning process and the end of the isolation period.

The ancient hula dance is performed while reciting the historical Hawaiian chants, wearing traditional costumes, strictly following the guidelines and showing respect to their rich cultural and spiritual heritage.

In ancient times, Hawaiian history was passed on from one generation to another orally because of the lack of any written language. Chants were created specifically to record and pass down historic events and stories. They tell the tales of creation, myths, legends, royals, culture, important events and people of Hawaii.

The school that teaches hula is called halau and the teacher is referred to as kumu hula. Kumu stands for the "source of knowledge". Women used to wear a topless dress called pau, which is a type of wrapped skirt, while doing the hula. The costume has changed quite a bit today. The tapa (barkcloth) used earlier was wide enough to cover the waist, but nowadays it is much wider and can go around a number of times as a sign of abundance and richness. Dancers wear several leis on different body parts like the head, neck, wrists and ankles. They also wear many ornaments such as necklaces, bracelets, waist bands and anklets.

The costume of male dancers is called malo (loincloth) which is also wrapped a number of times to in order to increase the circumference of the waist. Men too wear leis, necklaces, bracelets, waist bands and anklets. The sacred hula kahiko is always performed bare-footed.

The traditional instruments that are used while executing the hula include puili (split stick of bamboo), iliili (lava rocks), drums covered with sacred pahu-shark skin, ipu heke (double gourd drum), puniu (knee drums made with coconut shells and fish skin), ipu (single gourd drum) and uliuli (gourd rattles with feathers).

Many legends are associated with hula kahiko. As per one of the legends, Laka (the goddess of hula) created this religious dance somewhere in Kaana on Molokai Island. Her remains were buried under the Puu Nana hill after she passed away. According to another one, Haiiake performed this dance to pacify and entertain her sister Pele (the goddess of fire) on the islands of Hawaii. A different story states that Laka was asked by Pele to entertain her as she was bored. Laka then started dancing slowly portraying graceful movements, which lead to the creation of hula.

Hula auana, the contemporary style of dance, is divided into two terminologies: Monarchy and Ai Kahiko. While Monarchy refers to the hula developed under the heavy influence of western culture during the 1800s, Ai Kahiko means "in ancient style" and includes the hula created after the 19th century, but following the traditional rules of hula kahiko.

As stated earlier, the hula auana is mainly based on the events that occurred in the 1800s and thereafter. The women wear costumes that are relatively less revealing than those worn by kahiko dancers. Females usually wear skirts while men wear shorts, full length pants or malo along with leis and other ornaments. The mele are also based on much broader experiences and are inspired by many different topics and ideas. Modern instruments that can be carried easily are used in auana and include acoustic guitar, steel guitar, bass and four, six or eight string ukulele. Many festivals and contests are conducted annually to celebrate traditional as well as contemporary forms of the hula.

You might also be interested in these other Hawaiian history articles:
Hawaiian Islands | Birth of Hawaiian Society | Ancient Hawaiians | History of Ancient Polynesian Tattoo | Hawaiian Religion | Ancient Hawaiian Temples | Polynesian Mythology | Polynesian Tiki | Hawaiian Petroglyphs | History of Hawaiian Fishponds | History of Hawaiian Surfing | Ancient Polynesian Navigation | Hawaiian Outrigger Canoes | Ancient Hawaiian Astronomy | Colonialism in Hawaii | History of the Hawaiian Pineapple | History of Hawaiian Volcanoes | Traditional Hawaiian Music | Story of the Ukulele | History of Hawaiian Pineapple | History of Hawaiian Coffee | History of Hawaiian Sugar Cane | History of Hawaiian Noni | History of Polynesian Breadfruit

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