About Hawaii | Hawaii History | Hawaii Culture

Music! Hula is the heart of Hawaii expressed in motion. While some believe the hula was only danced by men, legend and historical sources tells us that both men and women danced. Hula began as a form of worship during religious ceremonies, but it gradually became a form of entertainment. Every movement and every expression of the dancer's hands in hula has a specific meaning. Chants accompany the movements and aid in telling the dancer's story. Traditionally it was not the dancer's hands but the words that counted the most.

Before the missionaries, Hawaiian vocal music was of two types, the mele oli and the mele hula. The mele oli are performed as solo chants performed at ritual or ceremonial occasions using only a few notes in a simple melody. Mele hula are chants accompanied by dance and musical instruments. These chants use more notes than the oli do, and have a regular rhythm. Instruments or implements that accompany the mele hula include the drum, the double gourd, the gourd rattle, and slapping of the hands on the chest.

Cuisine! The early Hawaiians planted and irrigated taro patches; cultivated crops such as yams, arrowroot, or breadfruit; hunted birds and pigs; gathered vines, ferns, herbs and medicinal plants from the forests; practiced both net and deep sea fishing; harvested shrimp, picked seaweed, and collected shellfish. Poi, a purple paste made from pounded taro root is the staple starch food of the Hawaiians.

The luau is a Hawaiian tradition, a feast to celebrate accomplishments, honor important people and celebrate great events. In old Hawaii it was a time to pay homage to ancestral gods and an ancient luau sometimes lasted for days.
Much has changed since the days of ancient luau, with women and men allowed to eat together, which was forbidden in Hawaii before the culture's system of kapu was eliminated in 1819. Women are also allowed to eat foods that were once denied them, such as bananas, coconuts, pork, turtle and several types of fish.

The central feature of the luau is the imu, a shallow pit lined with stones that acts as an oven. A whole pig is wrapped in banana leaves and placed in the pit's hot center. The pig and savory bundles containing side dishes are covered with multiple layers of banana or sometimes ginger leaves, and a final layer of sand. In about four hours the coverings are removed and the luau begins.

Sports! The popularity of the Hawaiian Islands has led many sports to hold special events on the islands, with the NFL Pro Bowl, and the Vans Triple Crown of surfing being examples. Each of the Pro Golf Associations hold events here each year. Bicycling, hiking, swimming, diving, and tennis are all popular sports in Hawaii.