"The hula is the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people." -King David Kalakaua
The tradition of Hula and grass skirts are an integral part of Hawaiian culture. The early Polynesians danced Hula to tell stories of the gods as well as recount history through chants and song. Hula was banned in Hawaii a few decades after the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778. The dance was still practiced secretively until religious freedom was granted to the Hawaiian people in the 1830s. The "Merrie Monarch" King David Kalakaua is credited for resurrecting and popularizing the lost art of Hula. Today Hula is studied throughout the U.S. and the world and the "Merrie Monarch" is honored with an annual Hula competition here in Hawaii. The most famous symbol of the Hawaiian hula is the grass skirt,traditionally the Hawaiians used ti leaves, the ti leaf is wider than the thinner strands of grass that are used today.
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