From Cellophane to Kapa: Perspectives on Hula in the Diaspora

Abstract

Having studied hula in Western Canada and in Hawaiʻi, I have observed many differences in the way that hula is perceived in the land where it originated and in the diaspora. For instance, although the grass skirt was not part of the original hula attire used by Hawaiians before Euro-American contact, the grass skirt clad hula dancer is commonly viewed as a major representation of hula outside of Hawaiʻi. Through archival research, practice as research studies, fieldwork in the southern region of Western Canada and the American Pacific Northwest, and ultimately through a historical and postmodern framework, different ideas are presented in this thesis on why certain perspectives about hula might exist in the diaspora and about the role costume has played in disseminating this image of the dance. This topic fits into the greater question of stereotypes, globalization in dance, and to a situated perspective of cultural identity.