Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 13, Number 7, 1 July 1996 — Kū Mai Ka Poʻe Hula [ARTICLE]

Kū Mai Ka Poʻe Hula

Those interested in the art of hula will soon be able to fīnd some direction in Kū Mai Ka Po'e Hula, a hula directory published by OHA's culture office. Kū Mai Ka Po'e Hula, whieh will be ready next month, is entirely dedicated to the art of hula. It will feature different hālau and kumu hula (hula teachers), loeal hula events, instrument makers, chanters, and musicians. "The directory will allow for those listed to see who everyone is and what they are doing," Manu Boyd, OHA's culture specialist, says. The demand for a directory of this sort was determined through surveys done in the Hawaiian community. Initially, OHA's culture office responded by publishing Ola Nā Iwi, a directory of Hawaiian aitists and cultural resources. Produced in 1995, Ola Nā Iwi featured 107 Hawaiian practitioners, helping with their networking efforts, and allowing the community to contact them for information and knowledge. Ola Nā Iwi is currently available at state libraries, Hawaiian agencies and state offices. Future publishing goals of OHA's culture division include producing a weaving and fīber arts directory and publishing an updated version of Ola Nā Iwi. These directories help serve the goals of OHA's culture division in a number of ways. They enhanee different cultural areas by allowing different artisans to share ideas, techniques and concerns. Bringing different practitioners together is also an important part of the division's long term goal of developing culture centers. OHA would like as many practitioners as possible to share in the development of such centers, providing ideas and mana'o in order to make them accurately reflect the spirit of the artistic eommunity-