[su_carousel source=”media: 39938,39937,39940,39949,39950,39948,39947,39946,39945,39943,39942,39941″ limit=”100″ link=”lightbox” width=”800″ height=”540″ responsive=”no” items=”1″]

The existence of Polynesian dance, language and culture, once threatened, is now being restored thanks to the many native Hawaiians who continue to teach and spread their traditions throughout the community.

One such person is Kumu Lani Cid-Iulio.

Kumu Lani Cid-Iulio. Photo: Amanda Peterson

Kumu (teacher) Lani Cid-Iulio, a 61-year-old Hawaiian native who lives in San Leandro, teaches Tahitian and Polynesian dances such as Hula, which is the Hawaiian word for “dance.”

For 10 years Cid-Iulio has been the owner and director of Island Hawaiian Studios and Hālau Makana Polynesian Cultural Arts Center, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is the only one of its kind in Alameda.

“There is more to just Hula than being a dance form. It is stories; Hula is people’s lives,”  Cid-Iulio said. “It’s about principles and cultural practices and weaving that into your everyday life. There is a saying [by King Kalākaua]: ‘Hula is the language of the heart. Therefore, the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people.’”

Like many Indigenous art forms that exist today, Hula is a form of resistance against colonization.

In her article “The Political Economy of Banning the Hula,” author and scholar Noenoe K. Silva explains how in 1820, protestant missionaries came to the Hawaiian Islands with intentions of spreading Christianity. The missionaries saw Hula as crude, savage, overtly sexual, demonic and offensive to their Christian beliefs. The first ban of Hula began on O’ahu in 1830s. In 1857, newspaper editorials published pleas to have Hula banned and in 1859 Hula was made illegal throughout the Hawaiian Islands. The misunderstanding and oppression of Hula dance and culture lasted approximately 53 years, according to Silva’s article.

During the era when Hula was banned, the culture and dance were forced underground. The only legal venue for Hula was licensed performances in a theater. The penalty for unlicensed performances of Hula was a fine of up to $100, and if unable to pay the fine, imprisonment or being put to work in the fields, according to Silva.

But the Hawaiian people fought back for their constitutional rights to perform Hula. In 1883 Hula was revived by the last reigning King of Hawaii, King David Kalākaua, (1836-1891), also known as the Merrie Monarch.

“And that’s what keeps us going,” Cid-Iulio said. “Whether you are Hawaiian by blood or because you love being Hawaiian. It’s everything, Hula is life. It is how we communicate, how we persevere, and how we teach our children about all things Hawaiian.”

A Hawaiian-themed lamp stand with a Hula girl is placed in the front of the dance studio at Hālau Makana, Island Hawaiian Studios in Alameda, Nov. 26, 2018. Photo: Amanda Peterson

Cid-Iulio has taught Hula since she was 12 years old. Hula is not only her profession and passion in life, but a way of life.

“As far back as I can remember I knew that was what I wanted,” she said. “It is my life; every thread is my life. I use my cultural principles in everything I do from the moment I wake up until I crash hard at night,” said Cid-Iulio.

Being a Kumu of Hula takes a lot of determination, according to Cid-Iulio. It’s her passion to pass down the tradition of Hula to her children, as her grandmother and mother taught her; how to dance and to never forget that they are Hawaiian.

“Hula is not just a pretty dance, it is who I am as a Hawaiian, who I strive to be every-day. I do not want to lose my cultural identity and Hula is very important part of that identity,” Cid-Iulio said. “The biggest thrill is that I am able to pass down the history and they’re [the students] able to embrace it in a positive way…To my ancestors I would say, a million thanks for doing everything they did when they did to preserve everything that they could preserve so that we in-turn were able to learn all that we’ve learned.”

The meaning of Aloha is deeper than “hello,” “goodbye” and “love.” The true Aloha spirit is “compassion towards others and compassion for yourself.”

“Be passionate…as long as it’s coming from your heart and your soul, doing your best to be positive and sincerely heartfelt, that is the true Aloha spirit,” said Cid-Iulio. “I would like the community to know…we are very welcoming and I would hope that anyone walking through our door would walk away with a memorable and positive experience.”

Those who are interested in taking a hula class from Cid-Iulio can visit Halaumakana.com/classes