The Rebirth of Hula: How Hawaiian People Connect with the Gods
Word Count: 1,740
The Rebirth of Hula “Hula is the language of the heart, and therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people” –King David Kalakaua. In the event of the rebirth of hula, reaction was shown most out of all of the three themes revolution, reaction, and reform. This is because throughout this event, it showed how the missionaries reacted to what the Hawaiians had already established on their own. This included how they reacted to the hula and the Hawaiian traditions such as nudity. The missionaries didn’t like it so they were quick and smart with their ways of changing the Hawaiians. Just because of this reaction that the missionaries had, caused the event of the rebirth of hula. Hula was a way that the Hawaiian people connected with the gods. It was a part of them; that all changed when the missionaries came to Hawaii in 1820. A social cause would be that the missionaries had different opinions about the art of hula. Some of the first missionaries, such as Captain Cook remarked on the grace and beauty of the native dance (Marty, AA2). Other missionaries, such as Hiram Bingham, wrote in his diary “The whole arrangement and process of their old hulas were designed to promote lascivious nous [sic], and of course the practice of them could not flourish in modest communities. They had been interwoven too with their superstitions, and made subservient to the honor of their gods, and then rulers, either living or departed or deified (Schmitt, Robert, L1).” With this statement, he showed that he didn’t like or appreciate the art of hula. Hula was then seen as more of a “tourist attraction” than a way to connect with the gods. This is an economical cause. Since it was only seen as a tourist attraction and wasn’t supposed to be performed or practiced, it went “underground” so that the tradition could still live on (Harington, Daniel, I2). In 1851, the missionaries thought that maybe hula could be used to provide entertainment for visitors. So with that,
The Rebirth of Hula “Hula is the language of the heart, and therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people” –King David Kalakaua. In the event of the rebirth of hula, reaction was shown most out of all of the three themes revolution, reaction, and reform. This is because throughout this event, it showed how the missionaries reacted to what the Hawaiians had already established on their own. This included how they reacted to the hula and the Hawaiian traditions such as nudity. The missionaries didn’t like it so they were quick and smart with their ways of changing the Hawaiians. Just because of this reaction that the missionaries had, caused the event of the rebirth of hula. Hula was a way that the Hawaiian people connected with the gods. It was a part of them; that all changed when the missionaries came to Hawaii in 1820. A social cause would be that the missionaries had different opinions about the art of hula. Some of the first missionaries, such as Captain Cook remarked on the grace and beauty of the native dance (Marty, AA2). Other missionaries, such as Hiram Bingham, wrote in his diary “The whole arrangement and process of their old hulas were designed to promote lascivious nous [sic], and of course the practice of them could not flourish in modest communities. They had been interwoven too with their superstitions, and made subservient to the honor of their gods, and then rulers, either living or departed or deified (Schmitt, Robert, L1).” With this statement, he showed that he didn’t like or appreciate the art of hula. Hula was then seen as more of a “tourist attraction” than a way to connect with the gods. This is an economical cause. Since it was only seen as a tourist attraction and wasn’t supposed to be performed or practiced, it went “underground” so that the tradition could still live on (Harington, Daniel, I2). In 1851, the missionaries thought that maybe hula could be used to provide entertainment for visitors. So with that,
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