Aloha America: Hula Circuits through the U.S. Empire
As ambassadors of aloha, Hawaiian women have been susceptible to the eroticization of their bodies and the insistent commodification of their aloha.
Adria L. Imada • Aloha America: Hula Circuits through the U.S. Empire
luau as a form of imperial hospitality between soldiers and islanders.
Adria L. Imada • Aloha America: Hula Circuits through the U.S. Empire
important to note this is seen as a positive encounter
military officers in the 1830s and 1840s were treated to feasts and entertainment by ali‘i (chiefs).
Adria L. Imada • Aloha America: Hula Circuits through the U.S. Empire
hula to nonislanders have been accused of corrupting the practice.
Adria L. Imada • Aloha America: Hula Circuits through the U.S. Empire
Americans perceived the colonization of Hawai‘i as relatively peaceful.32
Adria L. Imada • Aloha America: Hula Circuits through the U.S. Empire
For them, the song was more than a tourist melody that satisfied American audiences—it reminded them of living as family on the road.
Adria L. Imada • Aloha America: Hula Circuits through the U.S. Empire
“I wouldn't dance at home. People would be too critical, saying we used to dance for haoles. When I came home, I was embarrassed.”58
Adria L. Imada • Aloha America: Hula Circuits through the U.S. Empire
staged encounters.
Adria L. Imada • Aloha America: Hula Circuits through the U.S. Empire
Hula has been conflated with literal forms of prostitution—the performance of sexual acts in exchange for money—and metaphorical cultural prostitution, such as the sale of