Evolution of Hula Lecture - October, 2004 by Kaiulani Kanoa-Martin

The evolution of hula from ancient religious worship, to the present art form; called hula after mid-1800's.
Ha`a - Oral tradition was the language of Hawai`i before the missionaries. When we speak, many of us use gestures to express our thoughts and words to emphasize our point. So it was in ancient times. The priest in the heiau on the border between wao-kanaka and wao-akua prayed, sometimes in silence, sometimes aloud, sometimes using gestures and sometimes accommpanied by drums. This form of prayer/worship, using gestures, was done with bended knees. This particular form of worship was called ha`a, meaning humble or lowly. This ha`a was recognized as a very powerful form of worship; the priests realized if one person used this powerful way of praying, many using the same form of prayer would magnify the strength of the prayer. So they gathered their haumana and taught them how to pray on bended knees, using gestures, always done in unison, and sometimes using drums. This was now religious dance. This religious ritual was the forerunner of what we call the hula today, and was done only in the heiau by consecrated men. The men could enter the temple for training as early as 6 years, and occasionally, some were taken from their parents as young as 3, depending on their affinity for religion or their family ties. The kumu was a surrogate parent and ho`ola. Upon their `uniki, they were released and could resume normal life.
The heiau was usually mawaena (middle region inhabited by man) near the border of mauka (mountain, maluna, upland region inhabited by gods) the mysterious place penetrated only by the bird catchers gathering feathers for cloaks and helmets or priests selecting Koa trees for canoes. These intrusions were accompanied by religious ceremonies and prayers of supplication and thanksgiving. Have you ever wondered why directions are always given mauka - makai? The old religious interpretion means: from mauka (gods) comes all knowledge given to makai (men and all lessor forms of life). If you have a problem translating some of the old songs, this is the reason they sometimes don’t make sense.
Pahu - When dance was incorporated into the ha`a or prayer ritual, it was called ha`a hula or pahu hula, only because it was danced to the beat of the pahu drum in the ha`a style (bended knee); hula ha`a is more correctly a style of dancing rather than a type of dance. These sacred temple dances were primarily for worship, but also honored people, nature, animals, etc. Animals honored by these dances usually had more restrictions because they represented the family `aumakua (ancestral gods) These performances are unique and restricted to members of that ancestral line. Permission from the family is needed to perform those dances. As the ritual evolved, women were allowed to dance, but were taught separately and not allowed to co-mingle.
Pahu hula is not open to innovation or artisitic interpretation. This hula must be learned from someone who learned the dance from the ancients and is authorized to pass it on exactly as it was taught. It was always taught in its entirety, but the whole dance was very seldom performed in public. The whole dance is worship and some of it is from the dark side and should not be passed on; it could be used the wrong way. Future teachers who do not understand the full implications may not know how to protect themselves and their students.
All pahu hula are kapu and not meant for competition. It may be used for exhibition, but never competition. To correct one of the greatest misconceptions on kapu, the dancer is always free, only the dance is kapu. Certainly, when a dancer was in training there were certain restrictions, but ceremonies to lift the kapu from the dancer only commissions one to perform. The kapu on the dance remains and must be lifted for public performance. The kapu was placed so the dancer would have the right spirit. If your spirit is right, your dancing will be pono. Of course, one had to learn the dance to perfection, but that took practice, not the placing of a kapu.

Kapu - Some of nâ kapu imposed on dancers were:
1. Pikai - to sprinkle salt water on the performers for purification and a minor exorcism. Our kumu requested that all prayer be said in English. He felt it was dangerous to use Hawaiian as the mispronounciation of one syllable would compromise the prayer.
2. Ma`i - dancer with menstrual period was forbidden to perform.
3. Sex - dancers must abstain from sex outside of marriage.
4. La`i - All dancers must wear ti (la`i) leaf on their person.
5. Costume - the color, style, lei must be correct for the dance. This custom is still observed and is one of the criteria used in judging competitions. White is never worn for pahu hula, this is the Hawaiian funeral color. Hala leis are never used as adornment, the connotation is error.
6. Seriousness of expression - no smiling, giggling, laughing or playing around. The dance was prayer, very devout and must be danced in unison. The belief was that prayer performed in unison was more powerful than a single prayer offered by one person. If you laughed or played around, then you were not sincere in your prayer.
7. Eating restrictions - must fast before performance. After performance, may not eat from a common bowl (poi). Usually, even at a family party, the dancers' food was prepared separately.
8. Prohibition - attendance at funeral or contact with dead not allowed.
If a dancer cannot honor the kapu, then the kumu must take it upon himself and make all of the sacrifices for the dancers. The kumu has the great responsibility and accountability.
Ala`apapa/Olapa
The two types of kahiko are (1) pahu/drum (2) ala`apapa/olapa.
Pahu hula did not evolve into ala`apapa or olapa. They are separate.artistic forms of hula, one religious and the other secular; the line should never be crossed. Some hula steps are peculiar to pahu and never used for ala`apapa, but may be used for auana.
Secular hula is ala`apapa or olapa, formulatted by the commoners for entertainment, instruction, honor (everything except worship) and performed outside of the heiau. Olapa really means the dancer, but has become synonymous with that type of hula.
The older secular chants evolved into newer chants, that eventually were set to music at a later date, but we cannot use this as a rule of thumb because it is not consistent. The basic difference is the newer lyrics and rhythm are more methodical and standard. Perhaps this was due to western influence, not so with the older chants. The lyrics of the older chants had no orderly cadence. They just tell the story in no particular rhythm and with no consistent beat.
The kapu was not as strict with the olapa/ala`apapa. Some of the kapu is kept as tradition, wearing of the la`i and sprinkling of salt water.
As children in preparation for a new olapa, we were only told a very short, literal translation of the hula. We listened to the beat and did the steps that matched the beat. We changed our steps accordingly, when the beat changed. The motions were very simple and only portrayed the main theme of the stanza. If the words were about the wind, we did the same ka makani motion for the gentle breeze or the skin-stinging wind.
Age played an important part in transition of the dancer, but more important was the student's performance, talent and understanding of the hula.
Age 6-11, child or beginner’s class
Age 12-13, the dancer was sent to the junior class. At this time, you were told the literal translation. The steps were more difficult and the motions more descriptive.
Age 14-18, if you were ready, you were promoted to the wahine class. At this point you were taught the kaona and the ma`i dances. Some motions and steps were adjusted slightly, to interpret kaona, but were still in keeping with literal translation.
Different Traditions/Styles
The Maui/Moloka`i line is probably more pure because it did not go as far underground as did the O`ahu/Hawai`i line. Because of geographic location, Maui/Moloka`i was not policed as heavily when hula was outlawed. Each island had their own peculiarities.

Ku`i (Old Fashion Hula) - Kamehameha V and King Kalâkaua both revived hula that was outlawed by the missionaries. They gathered the hula masters and became their benefactors. They may have picked up this idea in Europe. Kalâkaua promoted the style called ku`i, a formal court style or what we old dancers call old-fashioned hula. Ku`i means to weave or put together and this type of hula weaves or tells a story and is the liason between the old and the new hula. This hula was danced wearing a long formal dress (holoku), with a one-handed vamp, the other hand adjusting the garment to allow freedom of movement so the dancer would not get tangled in the dress. The dancer always wore shoes.

This is some background of the hula we enjoy today