A glimpse into the hula tradition

Ka'Imi Na'auao O Hawai'i Nei

To Search for the truth of the Hawaiian Culture

   I sat in the dentist's office this morning and watched a young Hawaiian girl practice her steps as she waited for her appointment. I saw her counting off, crossing her feet, and whispering the movements to herself.  Her mother sat in the chair with her youngest and I could see her thinking to herself of all the generations that had done what her daughter was doing and that the young girl she held in her arms was going to be doing the same thing in several years.  I know.  She was probably thinking about her grocery list and how she'd love to get a massage, but that's what fantasies are for, right?  They inspire.

   I think Hawaiian people are some the most beautiful people I've ever seen.  This girl was no exception.  She was no more than fourteen and her skin was the color of maple syrup.  It was smooth and glowing.  Her hair was up in a ponytail but you could tell, it would almost hang down her back.  Her lips were full and voluptuous and curved easily into a smile.  Her eyes were dark brown and glowed.  Frankly, she was beautiful.

   I'm from New Mexico where there are 19 pueblos and 3 reservations.  The young Native people are angry and fighting for their own sovereignty and liberation as they plunge themselves into what their grandmothers and forefathers have done for hundreds of years.  The traditions are sacred and often secret.  The whole culture is embedded in unison with the earth and its movements and seasonal changes. There are particular costumes for dances and art forms that are passed from elder to child. Young people are fighting to reclaim their language and trying to teach it to their children. It is the same in Hawaii.

    The Hula

   I really have no right to write about Hula or Hawaiian culture.  I don't know very much.  I've only lived here for a short while.  That's my disclaimer before I begin.

   The Hula has been part of Hawaiian culture since ancient times.  Its beginnings are linked to number of gods and humans.  There are many mythical characters such as Hi'iaka who is considered as the first dancer.  Others call Kapo'ulakina'u the first divine patron of hula, or tell the story of Keaomelemele as the foundation myth of dance.  There are many mythical connections to hula and many stories associated with it's beginnings.  So there's really no way to know except through the first documentations, most of which were done by the famous white sailor, Captain Cook and of course, he could never translate the true meanings of the Hawaiian language or its customs. the Hawaiian language is like so many native languages.  If you're not a native speaker, much of the nuances of the language will be missed.  Trying to translate into English is almost impossible.

  What is clear, is that hula is spiritual.  All creation, including things moderns call inanimate, are regarded as having life.  This is called mana and everyone and everything has it. The preservation of spiritual and genealogical purity was as much a concern for the Hawaiians of this era as it has been for all Native cultures living today. As Hollywood and Elvis infiltrated the island and made hula conform to their own purposes and fantasies, many traditions appeared to be lost.
   

A Little Background

  In the 1960's, a group of Hilo ( a town on the east side of the Big Island) businesspeople, wanting to attract tourists during the normally slow season of March-April, decided to organize a festival of local culture.  On the advice of cultural practitioners concerned about the increasingly haole (a reference to non-native people) character of Hawaiian culture in general and of hula in particular, they created the Merrie Monarch competition.  It was created in honor of King David Kalakaua, and has become a major event on the island that includes dancers from all of the islands as well as several locations on the mainland.  The Merrie Monarch Festival is a week-long cultural festival that takes place annually in Hilo, Hawaii. It honors King David Kalākaua, who was called the "Merrie Monarch" for his patronage of the arts. He is credited with restoring many Hawaiian cultural traditions during his reign, including the hula. Many hālau hula (schools), including some from the U.S. mainland and Japan, attend the festival each year to participate in the festival exhibitions and competitions, which are considered the most prestigious of all hula contests.

Today, Hula continues to evolve and spread.  Children here are seen practicing hula like the young girl that I saw in the dentist's office in schools, community centers and many different places.  Hula is no longer just a show for tourists.  Hula has reclaimed it's "mana" and is revered as a sacred form of prayer.  Young people learning hula cannot participate in the Merrie Monarch until they've been dancing for at least five years. 

Merrie Monarch video 2012 Where is hula Today?           click to see video.