Hula `ala`apapa is a little known hula genre of the Kamehameha dynasty which predates "modern" hula ku`i of the Kalakaua era. Stillman writes of this style of hula as "situated in the indigenous, rather than Westernized, stream of hula performance." In a systematic interpretation of archival documentation on structure and associated mele (songs and chants), as well as performance parameters continually transmitted to the present, the author lays the foundation for exploration into this significant source of hula repertoire.

From the Conclusion: "Ahead lies the larger task of bringing the repertoire of hula `ala`apapa back to life in performance. . . . Contemporary hula masters are, in fact, applying choreographic creativity in reviving mele that have experienced breaks in continuous performance and transmission. And indeed, breathing life into the older--and far more fragile-- corpus of expression registered in mele hula `ala`apapa, after having lain mute in the manuscripts and newspapers for so many decades, would be the ultimate homage to offer this priceless heritage."

Amy Ku`uleialoha Stillman: Sacred Hula 0930897730$17.95