History
Documentation of ancient Hula has been difficult, nearly unachievable, for the Hawaiians; before the Protestant missionaries arrived, the decades of established Hawaiian language and culture had been transfered from generation to generation merely through word of mouth and memorization. Much information regarding the minute details of the Hawaiian culture is now irretrievable due to the possible inconsistency and unreliability of such methods. Yet after a formal literacy system was created, the Hawaiian people flourished and at one point achieved the recognition of being the most literate group of people in the entire world.
                                                                                            
 
 
In 1830, ten years after the arrival of the missionaries, Ka‘ahumanu, the queen regent of that era, released an edict that prohibited public performances of the Hawaiian dance.  Yet, the Hula continued to be taught and practiced in clandestine hula schools.  In the 1850s, dancing in public was no longer outlawed, yet heavy restrictions were applied to these performances.  A special license was necessary for each and every performance.
However old traditions were resurrected when hula people, known as po‘e hula, emerged as forms of entertainment when at home and when traveling within the state of Hawai‘i. From this small revival came the movement that sustained the dance and  its traditions.  Hawai‘i’s King David Kalåkaua played a significant role in the acceptance of public hula performances.  Hula was performed at his coronation and fiftieth birthday celebration.
Soon after the ending of the Hawaiian monarchy, there was a decline in public performances of hula once again. In the early 20th century, hardly any movements were made to revive hula. The few movements made encountered much opposition by foreigners. However the popularity of hula could not be rejected and by the mid 1900s it prospered. With this increase, new methods of song and dance forms were created in order to lure and attract the audience; instead of dancing to traditional chants, the performers swayed to melodic songs. Love songs became the norm, speckled with English words throughout. Because most audiences could not speak or understand Hawaiian, the words of the dance became subordinate to the motions of the
 
 dancer, thus altering the traditional relationship where the significance of the song prevailed over the movements. Nonetheless what remained grounded was the exquisite and beautiful composition of words within the songs that held the traditional Hawaiian mark of containing hidden, inner meanings, known as kaona. Within these songs, the pure poetry of the Hawaiian language continued to be a distinguishing “mark of excellence.” When effectively and accurately performed, a dancer’s soul is unveiled and the magnificence of Hawai’i’s islands, inhabitants, and past is revived.