Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Hawaiian History Month: Hula

In this week's installment of Hawaiian History Month, we focus on hula which was created in Hawaiʻi when the first Polynesians settled in the Islands. 

The hula of pre-Western contact is called hula kahiko and features traditional musical implements accompanied by an oli (chant) or mele (song). After Westerners visit the Islands, hula ʻauana is born and incorporates Western instruments such as guitar, ʻukulele, and percussion instruments.

The complex dance and artform is much more nuanced than many realize so we are excited to share the following resources to help everyone learn more about this fascinating aspect of Hawaiian culture. The resources not only cover the art but also touches upon academic aspects to understand the art in context to the world.

Library Books

Hopkins, J. (2011). The hula. Bess Press.

"Hawaiʻi in the 1970s was a vibrant time; a Hawaiian Renaissance was being led, in part, by the renewed popularity of and interest in hula as an integral part of Hawaiian culture... Hopkin's book was the first to offer readers a comprehensive history of hula aimed at a general audience." -- from publisher

Imada, A. L. (2012). Aloha America: hula circuits through the U.S. empire. Duke University Press.

"Aloha America reveals the role of hula in legitimizing U.S. imperial ambitions in Hawaiʻi. Hula performers began touring throughout the continental United States and Europe in the late nineteenth century. These "hula circuits" introduced hula, and Hawaiians, to U.S. audiences, establishing an "imagined intimacy," a powerful fantasy that enabled Americans to possess their colony physically and symbolically... Imada focuses on the years between the 1890s and the 1960s, examining little-known performances and films before turning to the present-day appropriation of hula by the Hawaiian self-determination movement." -- from publisher

Kaeppler, A. L. (1993). Hula pahu: Hawaiian drum dances. Bishop Museum Press.

"Adrienne Kaeppler analyzes dance movements and explains their evolution from early haʻa (ritual) taditions. She accounts for the sacred nature of hula pahu by placing its origin in ritual worship of the "state gods" of the Hawaiian religion." -- from publisher

Stillman, A. K. (1998). Sacred Hula: The Historical Hula ʻĀlaʻapapa. Bishop Museum Press.

"A study of the genre of ancient Hawaiian hula that is accompanied by the ipu and ipu heke gourd drums, that predates the so-called modern hula of the Kalākaua era. Includes background, mele (songs), terms, classification, implements used, accompanying hula steps, and Hula Pele." -- from publisher

DVDs and CDs

Nā leo Hawaiʻi kahiko: The master chanters of Hawaiʻi.  [CD 601]

"Historical recordings of chants and songs from the audio-recording collection from the Department of Anthropology at Bishop Museum." -- from CD container

Siebens, E. (2003). American Aloha: Hula beyond Hawaiʻi. Bluestocking Films. [DVD 1673]

"Goes beyond the hula stereotypes promoted by Hollywood and tourism to examine the cultural spiritual meaning of the hula and how hula tells the history of Hawaii through music, language and dance. Focuses on the perpetuation of hula among Hawaiians living in California." -- from DVD case

Woolford, K. (2014). The Haumāna. Hula Network Filmworks. [DVD 2527]

"Johnny Kealoha is the charismatic host of a struggling Polynesian luau show for tourists. To everyone's surprise, including his own, he is appointed as the successor to a high school hula class when his former Kumu Hula passes away. He becomes as much a students as a teacher through the demands of leading the boys to a significant hula performance and rediscovers the sanctity of the culture he previously abandoned."  -- from DVD case

Wright, P. K. (2007). Basic hula. Real Hula. [DVD 1844]

"The collaboration of this master teacher and master dancer has produced the first complete visual and verbal road map allowing you to achieve the truly Hawaiian look in your hula dancing. This video is two hours of intensive instruction and demonstration covering 14 basic steps." -- from DVD case

Websites

Hula Preservation Society

"HPS is the piko that connects us together as hula people around the world." -- from website

Nā Hula Festival

80th Annual Nā Hula Festival (online)

Keiki Hula

2021 Celebration Rebroadcast in Honor of Queen Liliʻuoklanai


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