Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 1, 1 Ianuali 2010 — School honors late kumu [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

School honors late kumu

By Lisa Asato Public lnformation Specialist Under blue skies and a warm Hawaiian sun, the students, faeulty and staff of King Liholiho Elementary Sehool reeently bid a fond farewell to their late kumu, Poni Kamauu, who by all aeeounts showered them with warmth, kindness, joy and his love of all things Hawaiian. The afternoon eeremony on Dee. 15 in the sehool's Hawaiian garden was notable for what it wasn't. It wasn't full of larger-than-life platitudes; just honest to goodness thanks, simply said. "Kumu Poni was very speeial beeause he taught us many speeial things," prineipal Christina Small told the gathering, whieh ineluded his sister, brother, nieee and nephew, as well as family friends of his mother, renowned kumu hula Hoakalei Kamauu. Before singing his tribute, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," Troy Fernandez, who has known Kumu Poni for five years - for as long as he's been bringing his two daughters to the sehool - told the erowd that kumu "had a pure heart" and was a "genuine, one of a kind person." Kumu Paul Hanohano, the sehool's new Hawaiian studies teaeher, deseribed his predeeessor as "a very speeial person beeause

he really lived the Hawaiian spirit. He loved teaehing Hawaiian to the ehildren of our sehool, and he did it with sueh graee and fun." For the eeremony, Kumu Poni's sister, Maeey Hoakalei Hina Kamauu, also a former Hawaiian studies teaeher at the sehool, performed oli, and with her two ehildren, daughter Kalai and son Kaimipono, daneed hula and made offerings to the garden, ineluding a kukui tree from Kumu Poni's home. Introdueing the fourth-graders' performanee, teaeher Ryan Towata reealled performing at 'Iolani Palaee the year before, saying to kumu's family, "Thank you for letting him share everything about the Hawaiian eulture with us." The students, in turn, sang songs in tribute, wearing blue and yellow "Liholiho Warriors" T-shirts,

mu 'umu 'u or aloha shirts paired with jeans, denim shorts or skirts. The fifth-graders, many of them standing barefoot in the grass, performed "Ahe Lau Makani," a favorite song of Kumu Poni's by Lili'uokalani and others. The song brought tears to his family's eyes, as others in the audienee also wiped away tears. The hnale brought even more tears, as Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's bilingual rendition of "īwinkle, īwinkle, Little Star," in Hawaiian and English, streamed over the speakers, a handful of students from groups overlooking the garden from the seeond and third floors unfurled short poles with white stars hanging from them, whieh blew in the wind. The family, watehing the students from the garden below, wore their happiness, sadness, love and gratitude in their expressions. Kumu's older brother, H. Wailana Kamauu Jr., thanked the erowd on behalf of the family. "We are honored and humbled by your expression of love and appreeiation of my brother Poni," he said. "Mahalo for honoring a member of our family who happens to be your family as well." First graders then approaehed the family en masse, hugging them individually and by groups. Kumu Poni grew up in Papakōlea, O'ahu, the seeond of six ehildren. He graduated from Roosevelt High Sehool and attended Chureh College of Hawai'i, later known as Brigham Young University-Hawai'i. Wailana,

his brother, said after the eeremony that he was a teaeher ahead of his time, teaehing art and hula at BYU-Hawai'i "before it beeame an academie study at UH." His career also includes teaching at Hiekam Elementary School and, more recently, teaching hula, oli, culture and mo'olelo at Kula Kaiapuni Kauwela o Pūowaina, a summer Hawaiian-immersion school. After the ceremony, Wailana recalled their spending summers with their Aunty 'Iolani Luahine, a cultural ieon in Nāpo'opo'o on Hawai'i. "As a boy, he was fascinated by stories and legends," he said, describing his brother's gifts as a storyteller, costume designer and teacher who loved to share his knowledge of plaee names and Hawaiiana. "It was his passion and it eame through in a very positive way," Wailana said, adding that his brother had taught in Mexico City

during a short visit in October and the people were so touched by him that they held a memorial service in his honor. In Honolulu, the memorial service was filled to capacity at the Tabernacle Memorial on Beretania Street, he said, estimating that more than 600 people attended. The family is setting up a Hawaiian studies scholarship in his brother's name at BYU-Hawai'i, he said. Leaving the school's ceremony, Lylah Reid-Akana, president of the PTA, said through teary eyes: "Everybody loved kumu. He showed kindness and love to all the children." Her son, Baylee Akana, a fourth grader, had earlier presented to kumu's family a koa-framed photo of Kumu Poni that recalled the dates of his tenure at the Honolulu school, "Aloha Kumu Poni, August 2004 to October 2009." Kumu Poni died Oct. 26. He was 56. ■

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[%I4. www.oha.org/kwo

Liholiho students perform in honor of their late Hawaiian studies kumu, Poni Kamauu, as a photo of him seems to smile in approval. - Photo: LisaAsato

Above: Liholiho Elementary honored its beloved Hawaiian studies teacher, Kumu Poni Kamauu, in photo, at center, who died in October. Pictured from left are: Kumu Paul Hanohano, who is continuing the tradition, Kamauu's sister Macey Hoakalei Hina Kamauu, principal Christina Small, formerschool kumu Kahealani Keahi, Kamauu's nieee, Kalai, older brother H. Wailana Kamauu Jr. and nephew Kaimipono. - Photo: LisaAsato