Hula La. Restoration Copy.

This past weekend a festival called “The Great Hawaiian Folk Life Festival” was held on Sat. and Sun. at the Kapiolani Park in Waikiki. Also held was a Parade through Waikiki, which I was not able to attend, to honor Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole, a popular Hawaiian Prince known as the People’s Prince, who instituted the Hawaiian Homestead Act which enables needy Native Hawaiian affordable housing up to this very day. A main beach in Waikiki is named after him, this past Monday was a State holiday to honor him, and a long highway known as the Kalanianaole Hwy. runs from East Honolulu, through Waimanalo and a large part of Kailua, bearing his name.

The Festival ran in conjunction with a Arts and Craft Fair and featured popular Hawaiian Music Groups and a special Area featuring the Hawaiian Hula by various Hula Schools (Halaus), was formed. Many will immediately equate the Hula with Hawaii much as they would the Flamenco with Spain, The Samba with Brazil and the Ballet with Russia. However, some may confused it with the more hip gyrating Tahitian dance, the Tamure. In the Hula, the hands are the most important aspect of the dance, as they interpret what the song is all about, much like sign language, but aesthetics play an important role. Also hands must coordinate with the foot movements as well as hip rotation. The Hula Captain Cook and his men saw when they discovered Hawaii is far different than most people today see the Hula in movies such as Blue Hawaii or in Travelogs.

The Hula in Captain Cook days were danced to chants rather to music, and the movements were more vigorous and jerky rather than soft and smooth and graceful as today’s. We refer the ancient type of Hula as Hula Kahiko and the modern Hula of today as Hula Auwana. Hula Kahiko usually was danced to honor the various Deities, Chiefs, or certain events or places. The missionaries had great influences among the Chiefs and convinced them that the Hula was evil so it was banned for about 50 years and It went underground, mostly in the remote areas.

During the 1880, King Kalakaua also known as The Merrie Monarch again allowed the Hula to flourish and let them be performed in his Court. Today there is a Grand-daddy of all Hula competition held in Hilo, annually, called the Merrie Monarch Festival. One evening is for Hula Kahiko and the next for Hula Auwana.

During the 1930’s with Hollywood on the rise and Tourism starting to appear on the Hawaiian scene, the Hula drastically changed it’s appearance. It became the Hula as most of us know today, being graceful, fluid and danced to melodic tunes rather than monotonous chants. It seems that was what the tourists and even locals wanted to see and dance, so the Hula Kahiko died out and was rarely seen performed. However, during the 1970’s there was a great Renaissance and it again gain immense popularity, so today both the Hula Kahiko and the Hula Auwana are performed widely.

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