Hula: Embodied Genealogy and the Heartbeat of a Nation

A Personal Connection to the Sacred

The scent of maile lei still hangs in the morning air as I write this, fresh from watching my daughter Kiele's first hula class at the local hālau. Her small hands moved through the gestures for "flower" and "mountain" with the same careful attention my grandmother once showed me, decades ago under the kukui trees behind our Hanalei home.

This morning reminded me why hula matters so deeply to our people. It's not just a dance. It's how we remember who we are.

Most visitors to our islands see hula as entertainment at a lūʻau or hotel show. They watch the graceful movements and hear the music without understanding what they're witnessing. Hula carries our history, our prayers, and our connection to this land in every gesture. It's a living library written in motion.

The Sacred Source

Long before any stage or spotlight, hula began as a gift from the gods themselves. Our ancestors understood that this dance came from the divine realm, not from human creativity. Every step, every chant, every gesture carries sacred meaning that connects us to forces greater than ourselves.

The goddess Laka stands as hula's most honored patron. In every traditional hālau, you'll find a kuahu altar dedicated to her, adorned with plants gathered from the forest. These aren't decorations. They're her kino lau, her physical forms in our world. The fragrant maile, the delicate palapalai fern, the strong koa wood - each one brings her spiritual power into the dance space.

Another powerful story links hula to the volcano goddess Pele and her sister Hiʻiaka. In this tradition, Hiʻiaka performed the very first hula in Puna to calm Pele's fiery rage. This connects our dance forever to the creative force of the land itself, to the very lava that built these islands.

At the heart of every traditional hālau sits the kuahu altar. It's usually placed on the eastern wall to catch the rising sun, symbol of life and new beginnings. This altar isn't just furniture. It's a living connection to the goddess Laka, a place where the divine touches our everyday world.

The most important item on many kuahu is a block of lama wood wrapped in yellow kapa cloth. Lama means "light" or "torch." Its presence represents the knowledge and clarity that every hula student seeks.