Legends immortalize Laka as the goddess of hula, portraying her as a gentle deity who journeyed from island to island, sharing the dance with all who were willing to learn. Laka's graceful movements, spiritual and layered with meaning, brought to life the history, the traditions, and the genealogy of the islanders. Ultimately taught by parents to children and by kumu (teachers) to students, the hula preserved without a written language the culture of these ancient peoples. Some legends trace the origins of hula to Molokai, where a family named Lailai was said to have established the dance at Kaana. Eventually the youngest sister of the fifth generation of Lailai was given the name Laka, and she carried the dance to all the islands in

 

the Hawaiian chain. Another legend credits Hiiaka, the volcano goddess Pele's youngest sister, as having danced the first hula in the hala groves of Puna on the Big Island. Hiiaka and possibly even Pele were thought to have learned the dance from Hopoe, a mortal and a poet also credited as the originator of the dance. In any case, hula thrived until the arrival of puritanical New England missionaries, who with the support of Queen Kaahumanu, an early Christian convert, attempted to ban the dance as an immoral activity throughout the 19th century. Though hula may not have been publicly performed, it remained a spiritual and poetic art form, as well as a lively celebration of life presented during special celebrations in many Hawaiian homes. David Kalakaua, the popular "Merrie Monarch" who was king from 1874 to 1891, revived the hula. Dancers were called to perform at official functions. In 1906, Nathaniel Emerson wrote about hula, "Its view of life was idyllic, and it gave itself to the celebration of those mythical times when gods and goddesses moved on earth as men and women, and when men and women were as gods." Gradually, ancient hula, called kahiko, was replaced with a lively, updated form of dance called auana. Modern costumes of fresh ti-leaf or raffia skirts replaced the voluminous pau skirts made of kapa (cloth made of beaten bark), and the music became more melodic, as opposed to earlier chanted routines accompanied by pahu (drums), ili ili (rocks used as castanets), and other percussion instruments. Such tunes as "Lovely Hula Hands," "Little Grass Shack," and the "Hawaiian Wedding Song" are considered hula auana. Dancers might wear graceful holomuu with short trains, or ti-leaf skirts with coconut bra tops. In 1963 the Merrie Monarch Festival was established in Hilo on the Big Island and has since become the most prestigious hula competition in the state. It's staged annually the weekend after Easter, and contestants of various halau (hula schools) from Hawaii and the mainland compete in the categories of Miss Aloha Hula, hula kahiko (ancient), and hula auana (modern). For more information, contact the Merrie Monarch Festival (Hawaii Naniloa Hotel, 93 Banyan Dr., Hilo, HI 96720, 808/935-9168). Molokai stages its own Ka Hula Piko festival to celebrate the birth of hula every May. Singers, musicians, and dancers perform in a shaded glen at Papohaku Beach State Park, and nearby, islanders sell food and Hawaiian crafts. During the week preceding the festival, John Kaimikaua, the founder, and his halau present hula demonstrations, lectures, and storytelling at various Molokai sites. For more information, contact the Molokai Visitors Association Merrie Monarch Festival Office 865 Piilani Street Hilo, HI 96720 Phone: (808) 935-9168 Fax: (808) 969-3058