Tag Archives: hula

Hula Dance – Performance Rituals

Context:

The informant is a 19-year-old student from Santa Monica, California. Her dad is from Hawai’i, so she has been learning and performing hula since she was 5 years old.

Text:

“At the start of every practice before entering like the practice space, we all circle–stand in a circle at the entrance and do like a chant, which is it’s called like Kunihi Ka Mauna. And basically like any hula dancer you ask, they know this chat because it’s like in every halau, which is like the school’s, they do this chant. It means like ‘steep and calm is the mountain.’ And so the idea is that before you start practice, you’re asking permission to learn the hula and like enter the space. And so you’ll do, it’s called like an Oli Kahea and the Kumu, the teacher, will respond back and then when you hear like a certain line of their response, that means you can enter.

And then also you always put on and take off your skirt, like, over your head. Like, you never like step into it or like step out of it if that makes sense because, like, it’s about like– It’s, like, disrespectful to, like, put the energy, like, below you or something. Yeah, so you’re putting it over yourself, like, over your heart.

Something kind of similar to that is whenever you have a lei, the flower, the direction of the flowers goes like upward facing on your left side. So like on your left side, they’re, like facing up same thing with, like kukui nuts, are like those, you know, like the blonde or black, like, nuts. And they’re kind of like heart shaped. Same thing, like the heart shape goes up on your left side because it’s like, your heart is. So, for flowers and any kind of lay that it goes in that direction because it’s like the, since your heart is on your left side, it’s like the circulation of the energy in the correct direction.

And you dance barefoot to be closer to Mother Earth.”

Analysis:

This is a ritual that the informant says, everyone who practices hula learns early on. Hula seems to have a strong connection to both Mother Earth and their home of Hawai’i. They want to show their respect every time they perform with these rituals. Performing these rituals repeatedly every time they perform dhow their dedication to respecting Mother Earth and the culture.

Hula

Nationality: American
Age: 49
Residence: San Diego
Performance Date: 4/27/20
Primary Language: English

Context: The informant is my aunt and will be referred to as L.I. She is originally from Hawaii and is of Filipino descent. She grew up in Hawaii, which is where the Hula dance and its importance, but she now lives in San Diego with her husband (my uncle) and their two children.

Main Text: L.I: “No one speaks true Hawaiian anymore so the Hula is how Hawaiians communicate now, by portraying words in a visual dance form. The two main categories of Hula are Hula Auana and Hula Kahiko. The Auana is much more flowy and common now, it is usually accompanied by song, guitar, and a ukulele. Kahiko, on the other hand, is more like a slap dance like the Samoan Haka and is accompanied by chanting”.

M.M.: “Is there a reason for there being two separate forms?”

L.I.: “The Kahiko is how they communicated in ancient times and the Auana is more modern and Americanized, its a lot more accepted. The hand motions within Hula dances are used to represent the words in a song or chant. For example, the fluid hand motions in the Auana can signify nature: the swaying of a tree in the breeze or a wave in the ocean.”

Analysis: Hula dances have always been an important part of Hawaiian culture, they are performed at all Luaus and weddings. I find it interesting how the Hula dance transformed in order to be more accessible and appealing to visitors from the United States. It demonstrates how the Hawaiian islands adopted to their new identity within the United States of America. The more fluid Auana form of Hula is very recognizable within the continental United States whereas the Kahiko is not.

The fight of the goddesses and creation of Hawaii: Pele and Hi’iaka

Nationality: Japanese
Age: 19
Occupation: Industrial System Engineering
Primary Language: English

The informant, T, is 19 years old. He was born and raised on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. His parents were also born and raised on Oahu. His grandparents on his mom’s side came from Japan and from his dad’s side were raised on Oahu. He is majoring as an Industrial and Systems Engineer. He considers himself American and is full Japanese.

T- “I did a hula performance a couple years ago and it was based on the story of Pele who is the goddess of volcanoes and her sister Hi’iaka, the goddess of the ocean, and they’re fighting because I think Hi’iaka had a boyfriend, and Pele took him away from her and Hi’iaka got pissed at her. So she chased her around and that is how the islands were formed. Pele would make an island because she is the island of volcanoes and her sister would go there and then Pele had to leave and she had to make a new island and yea”

How did you hear this story for the first time?

T-“My hula teacher or hula kumu”

Is that a common story that everyone knows or is it just a hula thing?

T-“Pretty much just hula people or people who are immensely into Hawaiian culture. Not a lot of people know that story”

Analysis- While this myth is known as an explanation to something as big as the creation of the islands, it is odd that only a small group of people really know the tale and actually tell it. This could be due to the fact that the traditional Hawaiian dance is meant to tell stories of the past as well as to be a way for the people to connect and give something to the Hawaiian gods. In the islands, one can see the constant change of the islands as they are formed by volcanoes and how the lava pours into the ocean to create steam and land. This constant and real fight of the land and the ocean is depicted as the two goddesses fighting.