The rituals that governed the hula incorporated special practices and mele for the making and wearing of lei. Lei were put on after the pa'u hula and to the accompaniment of a chant called Oli Lei:
Ke lei mai la 'o Kaula i ke
kai e
Ke malamalama 'o Ni'ihau ua malie
A malie, pa ka Inuwai
Ke inu maila na hala o Naue i ke kai
No Naue ka hala, no Puna ka wahine
No ka lua no i Kilauea, ae
Kaula wears the ocean as a
wreath
Ni'ihau shines forth in the calm
After the calm blows the wind Inuwai
Naue's palms then drink in the salt
From Naue the palm, from Puna the woman
Aye, from the pit, Kilauea
Go to the current issue of HULA MAI 'OE - Hula Newsletter