Polynesian Society: Artifact 3

Hula Dancing

 

     Hula dancing, or Ha'a, tells a story or interprets/mimics movements of nature such as trees blowing in the wind or fish swimming in the ocean. It was also the Hawaiian's way of keeping record of their history. As a ritual dance, it was performed for the volcano goddess, Pele. Her sister Hi'iaka originally performed the dance for Pele. The goddess Laka is the "keeper" of the dance. She created two groups of Hula dancers: the Olapa and Ho'o-paa. The Olapa had younger dancers, representing new dances with more energy. The Ho'o-paa were the elders who accompanied the dancers with song and music.
     Ha'a started as poetic chanting done by men, this was called the Mele. As the men performed poetry, women dancers transformed their words into dance and performed along with instruments. There were sharkskin drums, rattles, gourds, and castanets. Costumes consisted of women being wrapped in skirts made of cloth and men wearing loincloths. After the ritual dance, leis were placed on the altar of Laka as an offering of flowers to the goddess.  

Works Cited:
Information: "Hula Dancing History." HulaDanceHQ. Web. 9 Sept. 2014.
Picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hula
Video of traditional Hula dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9usfzaZvTk