The Dance that Defines Hawaii

The Hula is a dance that has become synonymous with Hawaii and luaus, it is iconic and so well known that it is always depicted the same way in the media. Almost all the time you will see someone making the movements of the dance - moving their hips in the direction they are moving, while at the same time moving the arms in a wave motion towards said direction - usually on a television show with a Ukulele playing in the background, and someone saying/singing “aloha-hay aloha-hoi” or some other sayings. A part in Disney's The Lion King, for example, featured it in a comedic fashion.

Hula is a dance that is accompanied by singing or chanting in the background. Funnily enough though, not many people, even Hawaiians, know about the origins of the Hula. For example there is no information about the the first hula dance, although it is said that the dance was developed by the Polynesians, who were the original settlers of the island a time long before the island was heavily populated by westerners and became a part of America, and is now an island filled with Hawaii rentals. The chanting or Singing is called a 'mele' and they both accompany each other very well, as they are a form of communication of what is happening.

There are various styles of Hula, but the most common types are the Ancient hula and the auana. Ancient hula is the type that has traditional chanting and instruments, it was the form of dance performed before western encounters with Hawaii and is also known as 'Kahiko'. This type of Hula is what many considered to be a religious ceremony, or a form of dance that was to praise and honour chiefs. Performances had to be correct as even a minor error would make the performance seem invalid and could even be interpreted as bad luck or a omen. This is why for this form of hula dancers were secluded while training, and are said to be blessed from the goddess Laka, and it is only in the ceremony of success that they emerge from their secluded status. Kahiko is still performed today and the traditional look is still graced on the Hula dancers. Funnily enough the chants were never put down in written form, they have been passed down orally for many years. The chants told stories of various subject matters ranging from creation, mythology, royalty and various other things.

The auana is a modified modern adaptation of hula that has been heavily influenced by Western society, this is the hula that has the musical instruments that everyone today has related to the Hula, such as the Ukulele, the guitar and the double bass. You could say that it was influenced by Christian morality and melodic harmony. The hula still relates to the same type themes and stories but now has more modern tales to represent. The costumes don't have to follow a traditional as there is a freedom of choice, for example women who are a slow and graceful dancers can wear formal clothing like mu'umu'u and men could wear a sash, whilst if there was a more feisty song then they can choose to wear more revealing attire.

The Man Who United Hawaii

He is the man that conquered the Hawaiian Island and established the kingdom of Hawaii - King Kamehameha I is one of the most important figures in Hawaiian history. Saying his full Hawaiian name takes a while, try pronouncing it without getting tired as it is 'Kalani Pai'ea Wohi o Kaleikini Keali'ikui Kamehameha o 'Iolani i Kaiwikapu kaui Ka Liholiho Kūnuiākea'.

He had royalty in his blood as his great great great Grandfather was Keaweikekahiali'iokamoku, a man who had ruled a humongous part of Hawaii and his death was a part of the reason why there was no family tied successor to the throne at that time as his two sons Kalani Kama Ke'eaumoku Nui and Kalaninui'amamao were fighting each other, along with Alapa' inuiakauaua, who emerged victorious but he was still a fair man as allowed Kamehameha's father to join the clan.

However, Kamehameha’s life was almost gone just as it was getting started, as it was prophesied by a priest that when he grew up he would be the 'killer of chiefs'. So Aplapa was scared of what might become of him and decided that the child was going to be killed, but thankfully Kamehameha's parents foresaw what was going to happen and gave him to a noble who went by the name Nae'ole to take care of him and keep him out of sight. Aplapa tried a few times to get him back five years later as he felt remorse for his actions, and when he got back he was under the guidance of Kekuhaupi'o, who had taught he about the ways of diplomacy and war.

When Aplapa died his was succeeded by Keawea'opala, his son, but this was disputed by his great nephew Kalani'ōpu'u who challenged his rule and was also backed by Kamehameha. This culminated in a war at Kealakekua Bay in which Kalani'ōpu'u was victorious and Kamehameha was made aide. When Kalani'ōpu'u died, his son Kiwala'o (Kamehameha's cousin) was his successor, and Kamehameha was given a prominent religious position: guardianship of the Hawaiian god of war. But there was bad blood between the two and Kamehameha had the backing of several chiefs who were against Kiwala'o. Kamehameha defeated Kiwla'o as he started to take over different districts and finally became king when he disposed a chief who was opposing him.

He had dreams that required for him to take over and unify Hawaii, this lead to many wars over the years. When all islands were unified he became the sole sovereign, and he made sure that there was a unified legal system and used products he had got in taxes to promote trade with Europe and the United States.

There are five statues that honour Kamehameha, each one is different as they have weaponry, gilding or painting. They are located Kapa'au, Honolulu, Hilo while the other two are located in the United States - one in Las Vegas and the other at the United States Capitol as a representation of the state of Hawaii. The statues have had a slight impact when it came to Japanese Manga, as creator Akira Toriyama, who created Dragonball, stated that Goku's attack called 'Kamehameha' was influence by seeing a statue of the king. If you also want to be inspired by this man, maybe you would like visit one of his statues in the states, or going to the origins of the statute (and the man) with one of the many Hawaii rentals on the island.

The Little Instrument That Strokes Our Hearts

We have all seen or heard this little instrument – and really the ukulele is an instrument that you possibly can't hate. It is an instrument based on another instrument, but one that has its own unique sound and following.

The ukulele's origins come from Hawaii, and the name when translated means 'jumping flea'. The name might be due to the fact the way you play it, with the action of your finger jumping of the strings. Queen Lili'uokalani was the last monarch of Hawaii said that the word actually means 'the gift that came here', derived from the fact in Hawaiian the word 'uku' means 'gift' or 'reward' and 'lele' means 'to come'.

The ukulele was made in the late 19th century, and is an instrument that is derived from two small guitar like instruments of Portuguese origin. They are the cavaquinho and the rajão, and these were introduced to the Hawaiians by Portuguese immigrants from Madeira. This is credited to three immigrants in particular who were Madeiran cabinet makers Manuel Nunes, José do Espírito Santo, and Augusto Dias. It is said they were the first makers of the instrument and that two weeks after they had arrived from the Ravenscrag in August 1879, the local newspaper the Hawaiian Gazette reported of their arrival and talents.

Ukuleles are mainly made from wood, but there are other versions that are made from other materials such as plastic. The cheap variation of Ukuleles are usually made with ply or laminate wood but the most special - and some would say most authentic - ukulele one made from Koa, a Hawaiian wood. The shape is usually the same as a normal small acoustic guitar in the same mould as a figure eight body shape; but there are some that are made into special shapes, such as ones that are made in an oval shaped like a pineapple. The instrument has only four strings, but there are ones where the strings are paired which gives the instrument eight strings. There are four sizes of the ukulele in total - the larger the size the lower the pitch of sound you will get. The normal sized ukulele is the Soprano ukulele.

Japan is considered the second home of the ukulele, not only because of their close ties with Hawaii but due to to Yukihiko Haida, a Hawaiian born ukulele player who returned to Japan for his father's death. He and his brother formed a club which became very popular thanks to Hawaiian music and Jazz. After the world war, and despite bans to western music, he kept on playing and in 1959 he founded the Nihon ukulele Association.

It is often been used in the media due to the popular image it has and its associated with Hawaii, but to truly experience some of the best ukulele music you have to go to the country where it was born or even better you can find them pretty cheap so you could get one and learn to get decent in the sun at one of the relaxing Hawaii rentals there is to offer.