Hula
(IPA: ['hul?]) is a dance form accompanied by chant or song.
It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesians
who originally settled there. The chant or song is called
a mele. The hula dramatizes or comments on the mele.
There are two
styles of hula. Ancient hula, as performed before Western
encounters with Hawai?i, 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
?auana. It is accompanied by song and Western-influenced musical
instruments such as the guitar, the ?ukulele, and the double
bass.
Hula is taught
in schools called halau. The teacher of hula is the kumu hula,
where kumu means source of knowledge.
There are other
dances that come from other Polynesian islands such as Tahiti,
Samoa, Tonga and Aotearoa (New Zealand); however, the hula
is unique to the Hawaiian Islands.
Hula
kahiko
Hula kahiko
encompassed 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.
Serious hula
was considered a religious performance. 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. Hula
kahiko is characterized by traditional costuming, by an austere
look, and by a belief that the meaning of the words is to
be taken seriously.
Chants
Hawaiian history
was oral history. It was codified in genealogies and chants,
which were memorized strictly as 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.
Instruments
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
?Ili?ili — water-worn lava stone used as castanets
?Uli?uli — feathered gourd rattles
Pu?ili — split bamboo sticks
Kala?au — rhythm sticks
The dog's-tooth anklets sometimes worn by male dancers could
also be considered instruments, as they underlined the sounds
of stamping feet.
Costumes
Female dancers
wore the everyday pa?u, or wrapped skirt, which left the breasts
bare. As a sign of lavish display, the pa?u might be much
longer than the usual length of kapa, or barkcloth, which
was just long enough to go around the waist. Visitors report
seeing dancers swathed in many yards of tapa, enough to increase
their circumference substantially. Dancers might also wear
decorations such as necklaces, bracelets, and anklets, as
well as many lei (in the form of headpieces, necklaces, bracelets,
and anklets).
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.
The lei and
tapa worn for sacred hula were considered imbued with the
sacredness of the dance, and were not to be worn after the
performance. Lei were typically left on the small altar to
Laka found in every halau, as offerings.
Performances
Hula performed
for spontaneous daily amusement or family feasts were attended
with no particular ceremony. However, hula performed as entertainment
for chiefs were anxious affairs. High chiefs typically traveled
from one place to another within their domains. Each locality
had to house, feed, and amuse the chief and his or her entourage.
Hula performances were a form of fealty, and often of flattery
to the chief. There were hula celebrating his lineage, his
name, and even his genitals (hula ma?i). Sacred hula, celebrating
Hawaiian gods, were also danced. All these performances must
be completed without error (which would be both unlucky and
disrespectful).
Visiting chiefs
from other domains would also be honored with hula performances.
This courtesy was often extended to important Western visitors.
They left many written records of 18th and 19th century hula
performances.
Hula
kahiko teachers
George Naope
Tiare Noelani Chang
Keali?i Reichel
Charles Ka?upu
Hula
?auana
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 ?auana 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.
Songs
The mele of
hula ?auana are generally sung as if they were popular music.
A lead voice sings in a major scale, with occasional harmony
parts.
The subject
of the songs is as broad as the range of human experience.
People write mele hula ?auana to comment on significant people,
places or events or simply to express an emotion or idea.
The hula then interprets the mele.
Instruments
The musicians
performing hula ?auana will typically use portable acoustic
stringed instruments.
?Ukulele —
four-, six- or eight-stringed, used to maintain the rhythm
if there are no other instruments
Guitar — used as part of the rhythm section, or as a
lead instrument
Steel guitar — accents the vocalist
Bass — maintains the rhythm
Occasional hula ?auana call for the dancers to use implements,
in which case they will use the same instruments as for hula
kahiko.
Costumes
Costumes play
a role in illustrating the hula instructor's interpretation
of the mele. While there is some freedom of choice, most halau
follow the accepted costuming traditions. Women generally
wear skirts or dresses of some sort. Men may wear long or
short pants, skirts, or a malo (a cloth wrapped under and
around the crotch). For slow, graceful dances, the dancers
will wear formal clothing such as a mu?umu?u for women and
a sash for men. A fast, lively, "rascal" song will
be performed by dancers in more revealing or festive attire.
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