Hula is more than just a Hawaiian dance; many Hawaiians call it the heartbeat of their culture.
“It’s wonderful to celebrate your culture,” Cindi Heffner, a hula instructor, said. “We have been doing hula here for more than 10 years. It’s been wonderful, and hula is my way of keeping my connection to my culture.”
For years, Hawaiians did not have a written language, so hula became their way to share and preserve stories.
“Today, we just gave them a taste of how to do the motions for the word aloha, which stands for five universal life values,” Heffner said.
Aloha is an acronym for five different words. Those words are Akahai (kindness), Lokahi (unity), ‘Olu’olu (agreeableness), Ha’aha’a (humility), and Ahonui (patience).
“Those values are universal,” Heffner said. “They’re not just for the Hawaiians, and everybody needs to simply share their Aloha, and let’s make the world a better place.”
READ MORE:
AANHPI Month: Hula dancing’s connection to Hawaiian culture — an instructor explains
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