First of all, I think some of your information about hula may be incorrect or subject to debate. http://www.kaimi.org/history_hula.htm
http://www.huladancehq.com/hula-dancing-history.html

So the hula is an invention, designed by colonizers and capitalists, to highlight the appeal of “foreign” women.

You’re right in that the image of the exoticized “dancing hula girl” has been created and used by non-Hawaiian/local people as a marketing tool. I doubt that anyone in Hawaii appreciates or identifies with it.

But, BUT! Your statement really bothers me in that it suggests that all hula has been co-opted and is now inauthentic. There is a very strong movement to reclaim the more traditional hula culture. And while the hula auana does incorporate more Western influences than hula kahiko, I think that most of the people who dance it would disagree that it’s solely the product of mainland imperialism. It’s still Hawaiian at its very core, and still very much about storytelling.

By the way, I think the “hip movements” you talk about were present in the hula kahiko (traditional). The kahiko style movements do tend to be a lot stronger and the beat is usually faster, so they aren’t as noticeable – but the hip movements are still definitely there. Men should also do the same hip movements that women do, in either style.

Also, the first picture from the 1950′s – that’s probably a ti leaf skirt. The first picture of the three women might be hau skirts. Raffia/grass is not authentic, but ti and hau do have some historical basis.

If you’re interested in seeing some hula in its current form that would likely be considered “authentic”, you might try searching for “Merrie Monarch” clips on Youtube. To narrow down results, you can search for specific divisions: “kane” – men, “wahine” – women, “kahiko” – traditional, “auana” – modern.

enyoy life with

Bengt eric Fagerberg