History of Hawaiian Hula
Copyrite 2010 David Olsen
Abstract
Hula is a part of Hawaii's culture. Hula was first created as a way to honor the gods and chiefs. The basic part of a hula is poetry. The poem can be written about a god, chief, or event, and it can be written by one person or several people. The hula is then performed by several people either standing or kneeling. The storyteller is the one who recites the poem and does not participate in the dance. The dances included instruments like drums, rattles, and rhythm sticks. Everything gave interpretation and context to the theme of the hula. (Kaeppler 1972, 38-40).
In the culture of ancient Hawaii, hula is a tradition. It is not a tradition because it was created many years ago and is still around today. Traditions are fluid. Hula was a tradition back then and it is a tradition now. The ancient Hawaiians made hula a social reality that had a meaning and a purpose and thus it became a tradition to create a poem, choreograph a dance, and add music. This tradition was performed for gods, chiefs, or to express feeling about weather or current events. Hula is still a tradition today because of the importance hula had on Hawaiian culture. It is important to note that hula is not a thing.
Tradition is not bound in objects. The tradition of hula is an emotional expression of Hawaiian history that tells the stories of the great chiefs who ruled Hawaii and the gods they worshiped. It is important to keep traditions alive. The traditions that made it to the modern times of today, are still alive because of the cultural significance it brought to the people. Traditions are a part of cultural identity and a part of the individual people in that culture. That is why hula is so important (Handler, Richard, and Linnekin 1984).
Hula is also a ritual. The expression of hula helps enhance core beliefs and values (Sims and Stephens 2011). Laka is the patron goddess of hula, so people often performed the ritual of hula to honor her. The goddess that was honored the most with hula was Pele. Pele was the goddess of fire. She controlled the beautiful and terrifying volcanoes of Hawaii. The most famous hula is, Aia lal o Pele which is a mele inoa hula specifically created to honor the goddess Pele (Kaeppler 1972, 38-40).