Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 9, 1 September 1998 — Ua hala ʻo Hoakalei Kamauʻu, he kumu hula i aloha nui ʻia [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Ua hala ʻo Hoakalei Kamauʻu, he kumu hula i aloha nui ʻia

HAWAI'I RECENTLY lost a Hawaiian cultural treasure with * the passing of Hoakalei Kamau'u, a A kumu hula who helped to fuel the renaissance of tradi- t tional hula. The nieee of legendary dancer/chanter 'Iolani * Luahine, Kamau'u established her Hālau j Hula o Hoakalei in 1952 emphasizing strict adherence to traditions. In 1969, I through the auspices I of the State Council on Hawaiian Heritage

and the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, she was named State Dance Coordinator, and was instrumental in starting hula workshops to spark an interest in traditional hula among the younger generation. For 30 years, she served as the court chanter and an advisor for Aloha Festivals. "Aunty Hoakalei brought forward all of the greats in hula at that time. Henry Pā, Lōkālia

Montgomery, Aunty 'Io ('lolani Luahine) and Eleanor Hiram Hoke, to name a few. Some of her own stu- - dents such as Edith McKinzie, Leimomi £ Khan and Dani Hanohano would ■- help with the beginning classes," said Keahi Allen, execuī tive director of the ■ State Council on ■ Hawaiian Heritage. I "I was shocked to I hear about her pass- ■ ing. I admired her I work very inueh. I The knowledge she Bcarried from her ancestors and her

skills as ho'opa'a (chanter/drummer) for 'Iolani Luahine are what I remember most from when I was growing up," she added. Hoakalei Kamau'u is survived by daughter Macey Kamauoha, sons Poni, Wailana, Kaleihau and 'Iolani, sisters, brothers, 1 2 grandchildren and many haumāna, past and present. Hānini kuluwaimaka, aloha nō ... ■

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