themselves and asking for the guidance, grace,
and memory necessary to deliver a stunning and remarkable performance. However, such actions themselves did not necessarily constitute that the performance itself was an act of religious worship.
The original purpose of the hula was to honor and worship the gods of hula. Hula was a religious performance and was considered highly sacred. It was used to harmonize the specific gods of the family, known as aumakua, with nature so that together they could act as a one. Such a spiritual relationship was strongly embraced in the era before the arrival of the missionaries and Christianity, however such a prominent conception has greatly diminished in modern hula.
The training of hula from generations to generations was a crucial element in assisting the survival of the dance, and such training followed religious practices as well. After graduating from hålau hula, a final ritual was performed to remove the restrictions, or kapu, of the gods. Subsequent to the ritual, hula performances were “free” of religious restrictions. Futhermore, halaus would undergo a routine of saying ritual prayers before performing their pieces, as a way of preparing
Traditionally, upon the formal performing of the hula, dancers would chant or say prayers. Often,
the hula was composed for chiefs or gods, to whom they were dedicated to. This placed sacred restrictions upon the members of the hålau that performed the dances. Special codes of conduct, kapu, were enforced and could only be lifted by the kumu hula.
