Hawaiian Hula
This Hawaiian practice combines chant, dance, and storytelling.
A:What is hula?
Circular breathing is used to play this Aboriginal instrument.
A: What is the didgeridoo?
This term describes a significant life event like birth or marriage.
A: What is a rite of passage?
These Pacific Northwest people are known for their potlatch ceremonies.
A: Who are the Makah?
The Hawaiian kingdom ended with the overthrow of this monarch.
A: Who was Queen Liliʻuokalani?
These are traditional chants for dance, often accompanied by percussion
A: What is mele hula?
This four-string instrument is key to modern Hawaiian hula ‘auana.
A: What is the ukulele?
Hawaiian hula often tells stories of these divine figures.
A: What are gods and goddesses?
Aboriginal songlines serve this navigational function.
A: What is marking ancestral paths or navigation?
Hawaiian music was labeled this in the mid-1900s, dismissing its depth.
A: What is kitsch?
This drum, often made from wood or gourd, provides rhythm in hula kahiko.
A: What is the pahu (or ipu, heke)?
This insect helps hollow out wood for a traditional didgeridoo.
A: What are termites?
This teacher title in hula culture means “source of knowledge.”
A: What is kumu hula?
In Makah culture, songs are treated as this kind of asset.
A: What is personal property?
This cultural revival movement began in the 1960s–70s in Hawaii.
A: What is the Hawaiian Renaissance (or traditional roots revival)?
A kumu hula serves this important cultural function.
A: What is a teacher or cultural keeper?
The Makah use these during ceremonies to accompany their songs.
A: What are drums or percussive instruments?
This term refers to chants used before Western influence, pre-1778.
A: What is mele?
Everyone in Skokomish tradition has this, tied to identity and spirituality.
A: What is a spirit song?
This ancient practice in both Hawaiian and Aboriginal cultures uses music to pass down knowledge, stories, and history—showing how sound and land are deeply connected.
What is oral tradition (or songlines and mele)?
These chants are performed solo, without instrumental accompaniment.
A: What is mele oli?
This rhythmic element is essential in both hula kahiko and ‘auana for dancing.
A: What is a steady beat?
Skokomish spirit songs are meant to help achieve this spiritual goal.
A: What is shuy?
These traditional ceremonies support status and identity in Makah society.
A: What is a potlatch?
Hawaiian mele can be classified by these two broad chant categories.
A: What are chants by function and chants by musical style?