Hula is a traditional Hawaiian dance that was used to honor the gods and the chiefs. There were two different genres of hula. The First is called mele inoa. This hula was used to honor specific chiefs and gods. these were performed during specific occasions. The poetry part of a mele inoa was composed by one or more people. Sometimes a god would reveal a special item in a dream that should be incorporated into the poem. These poems told stories of the victories the person of honor had achieved. They also talked birth a genealogy.

 

The other genre of hula was the mele ho'oipoipo. This hula was less formal and the poems were pointed more towards nature and told about the current events the people were facing (Kaeppler 1972, 38-40).

 

Once someone became a master of hula, they could build a dance house called a halau where they could teach others the art of hula. The master would teach their students the tehnique and skill involved in hula. Sometimes these groups of hula dancers consisted of a few hundred people; men, women, boys, and girls of all ages could participate in honoring the gods and chiefs (Beckwith 1916).