The Most Prestigious Hula Competition: 60 Years of Celebrating and Perpetuating Hawaiian Culture
“Hula is the language of the heart. Therefore the heart of the Hawaiian people.” – King Kalākaua Rex
April 2, 2023
By: Zion David-Ravey
(Previously posted on April 2, 2023 on WordPress for a UNLV Journalism class)
“Within three days, the competition tickets are sold out. Those tickets are like gold,” Kumu Hula (hula teacher), Ke’ano Ka’upu exclaims.
Merrie Monarch Festival is a week-long festival filled with a parade through the town of Hilo, Hawai’i, a craft fair, and the internationally acclaimed hula (dance) competition that takes place every April on Hawai’i Island. It is a non-profit organization that honors the legacy of King David Kalākaua who inspired the perpetuation of the Hawaiian people’s traditions, native language, and arts.
This year, Merrie Monarch takes place within the week of April 9th through the 15th.
Dating back to 1964, this April marks the 60th annual of the Merrie Monarch Festival.
The festival is composed of different competitions which include Hō’ike Performances, Miss Aloha Hula, Hula Kahiko, and Hula ‘Auana competitions. On Wednesday, the night of Hō’ike performances, it is non-competitive and international performers from other Pacific islands, Japan, Alaska, and New Zealand are welcome to perform. Miss Aloha Hula night is when there are women’s solo performances where one must perform modern (Hula ‘Auana), traditional (Hula Kahiko) hula as well as chant (oli). The next night is for Hula Kahiko where women and men perform a traditional style of hula. The last night of the festival is when women and men perform Hula ‘Auna which is a modern, contemporary style of dance where it can be described as more graceful than the traditional style. Awards are also presented on this night.
However, the Merrie Monarch Festival is more than just a week-long competition.
In the 1800s, Hawai’i was introduced to missionaries. At a time when Hawai’i was still an independent and recognized nation, the queen at the time, Queen Ka’ahumanu converted to Christianity and made it illegal to practice hula in public spaces. Later in 1896, just 3 years after the Kingdom of Hawai’i was illegally overthrown, ‘ōlelo Hawai’i (the Hawaiian language) was banned from being used in public and private schools.
King David Kalākau eventually succeeded Queen Ka’ahumanu in 1874 and declared that hula once again could be practiced and performed in public. In dedication to King Kalākaua, the Merrie Monarch Festival is just one example that there is living and breathing proof that Hawaiian people and Hawaiian culture still live.
So what really is hula and why do people still practice it today?
As defined by Hawaiian dancer and singer Kaumakaiwa Kanaka’ole, “Hula is the physical modality by which we consciously engage, participate and grasp what is ancestral memory for our land, our foundation.”
To dance hula is to not only tell a story, but it is to be part of something bigger than oneself. There are many reasons that different people might have as to why they dance, but when one performs a hula or sings a chant (oli), they are passing down and protecting a story… a legacy. They are perpetuating this tradition that many of one’s Hawaiian ancestors didn’t have the opportunity to do.
Two of the biggest conceptions, when one watches a hula performance, are that it’s easy and that it’s only for women.
Here in this video by Great Big Story, former Miss Aloha Hula Kayli Ka’iulani Carr explains What it Takes to Become a Hula Champion. In this next video also by Great Big Story, the men of the hula school Ke Kai o Kahiki explain what it’s like Telling Warrior Stories with Hula.
This year’s Merrie Monarch Festival can be watched from around the world here.
As the world waits patiently for the festival and competitions to start, here are some of the heartwarming memories that attendees have shared as well as what to look forward to this year.
To date and for years to come, the Hawaiian people and their culture live on.
