"The hula, as a primary means of expression for the early Hawaiians, served to instruct, inspire, and entertain. The first dances were sacred rituals performed only by men. These dances (ha'a), were part of religious ceremonies performed in the temple (heiau) under the direction of a priest (kahuna) and were often related to a specific deity. The dancers were chosen carefully and, for them, life was full of rules governing their behavior, diet, and recreation. There was another public form of dance, hula, which was enjoyed by all members of Hawaiian society. These dances did not necessarily have any religious significance and were performed outside of the heiaus. In addition, women as well as men could dance the hula."

"With the arrival of the missionaries and the conversion of many Hawaiians to Christianity, the ha'a forms of the hula began to disappear. Missionaries disapproved of these dances as vulgar and blasphemous and publicly denounced them. Royal decree banned these dances in 1825 but the ha'a continued to be performed secretly in remote villages. As the ha'a dances were disappearing, the public hula was surviving albeit with many changes. More and more women were dancing the hula. The Portuguese ukulele often accompanied the dance. Dance steps introduced by the foreigners became incorporated into the hula. One step, a sideward kick called the ku'i step was said to have originated when a Hawaiian woman wearing a long European gown improvised the step to keep from stepping on her gown while dancing the hula."

"In 1870, King Kalakaua defied prohibitions against the hula and gave it royal sanction. Once again, the hula could be performed publicly. Hula schools (halaus) were established and hula competitions became an important feature of many celebrations. With the advent of tourism in Hawai'i, the hula became a featured form of entertainment. Although most dances now being performed were vastly different from those danced by the ancient Hawaiians, they were still uniquely Hawaiian. With statehood, came renewed interest in preserving and perpetuating the Hawaiian culture and a renaissance of the hula was underway. The ancient hula, or hula kahiko, was revived. Major competitions, particularly the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival held annually in Hilo, Hawai'i, highlight both ancient and modern forms of the hula. Hula halaus are numerous and many young men and women, proud of their Hawaiian heritage, are preserving and perpetuating the Hawaiian culture through their participation in the hula."

"The ancient hula-hula kahiko-is an expression of Hawai'i as it was before the arrival of foreigners. Costumes often include skirts of leaves or grass and the dancers adorn themselves with leis, wristlets, and anklets made of feathers, shells, flowers, and foliage, much as the ancient Hawaiians would have. Chants often provide the musical accompaniment to the hula kahiko and may be augmented by the use of percussion instruments such as those made of gourds or bamboo sticks. All these elements combine to make the hula kahiko a moving and memorable experience of traditional Hawaiian culture."