Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hawaii's Arts & Crafts
Contemporary Hawaii is a garden of different cultural traditions, and the
state capital of Honolulu is a fertile crossroads between East and West. Un-
derneath it all beats a Hawaiian heart, pounding with an ongoing revival of
Hawaii's indigenous language, artisan crafts, music and the hula.
E komo
mai
(welcome) to these unique Polynesian islands, where storytelling and
slack key guitar are among the sounds of everyday life.
Hula
Ancient Stories
In ancient Hawaii, hula sometimes was a solemn ritual, in which
mele
(songs, chants)
were an offering to the gods or celebrated the accomplishments of
aliʻi
(chiefs). At other
times hula was lighthearted entertainment, in which chief and
kamaʻaina
(commoner)
danced together, including at annual festivals such as the months-long makahiki held dur-
ing harvest season. Most importantly, hula embodied the community - telling stories of
and celebrating itself.
Dancers trained rigorously in
halau
(schools) under a
kumu
(teacher), so their hand ges-
tures, facial expressions and synchronized movements were exact. In a culture without
written language, chants were equally important, giving meaning to the movements and
preserving Hawaii's oral history, anything from creation stories about gods and goddesses
to the royal genealogies. Songs often contained
kaona
(hidden meanings), which could be
spiritual, but also amorous or sexual.
Can't resist the rhythms of the hula? Look for low-cost (or even free) introductory dance
lessons at resort hotels, shopping malls and local community centers and colleges. No
grass skirt required!
Modern Revival
One can only imagine how hard Hawaii's earliest Christian missionaries blushed at the
hula, which they disapproved of as licentious. Missionary efforts to suppress hula were
aided by Christian convert Queen Kaʻahumanu, who banned public hula dancing in 1830.
The tradition might have been lost forever were it not for King Kalakaua. He revived
hula dancing in the 1880s, saying famously, 'Hula is the language of the heart, and there-
