the.com/hula
the hula is a danced library, every hip a sentence in a wordless language.
means A traditional Hawaiian dance characterized by rhythmic, flowing movements of the hips and hands, often performed to chant or song.
from From Hawaiian 'hula,' the native name for the dance itself, which entered English in the 19th century as outsiders encountered the islands. The word stands on its own in Hawaiian — a dance, a chant, a way of remembering — and its deeper roots reach back into the broader family of Polynesian languages, where words for dance and song travel together across the Pacific. English later borrowed it again for the spinning 'hula hoop' of the 1950s, named for the hip-swaying it demanded.
- living archive
- Preserved Hawaiian history before written language existed
- banned once
- Missionaries outlawed it as too sensual in 1830
- kahiko vs auana
- Ancient ritual form versus modern melodic style
- hands talk
- Gestures literally spell out the chant's meaning
- sacred origin
- Said to be a gift from goddess Laka
merrie monarch festival — annual hula competition in hilo, hawaii since 1964, largest in the world
kumulipo — hawaiian creation chant danced in hula kahiko (ancient hula), performed at cultural ceremonies
hula hoops 1950s — wham-o toy craze in 1957, over 25 million sold in first year