Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 5, 1 May 2022 — Hālau of 'Ōiwi Art: He HOA no ke Kaiāulu [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hālau of 'Ōiwi Art: He HOA no ke Kaiāulu

By Cody Pueo Pata "Whether you are 5 or 85, hula ean hefor you. Whether you have lived here for generations or arrived last month, hula ean befor you. Whether you pray to Kāne, Buddah, your ancestors, or a heavenly Father, hula ean he for you too. Hula is for everyone." - Testimony of Kumu Hula Hōkūlani Holt, PhD, Maui County "s Budget, Finance and Eeonomie Development Committee hearing, April 8, 2022. Located in the 'ilikū of Pe'epe'e, part of the proposed project site for a Hālau of 'Ōiwi Art was onee home to the historic King Theater in the modern-day Wailuku Arts District. If approved, the 47,000-square-foot facility would be the largest investment by any county or the state to_create a permanent plaee for hula and its associated 'Oiwi arts and practices. With an initial cost of $54 million ($43 million from Maui County and $11 million in federal funds), such a price tag is not an easy shoo-in for the county's Budget, Finance, and Eeonomie Development (BFED) Committee. Nevertheless, some 50-60 individuals and organizations submitte_d puhlie testimony in staunch support of the Hālau of 'Oiwi Art asking eouneil members to fund the project in full. According to county ofhcials, full funding is crucial to demonstrate commitment for federal funding purposes. With mid-term elections coming up, the timing is right to access that funding prior to any possible changes occurring at the federal level in terms of the makeup of Congress. While hula continues to be a mainstay in our identity as Hawai'i, our state and county agencies have yet to provide a physical space for hula. At the April 8 BFED Committee meeting, numerous kumu hula and hula practitioners highlighted the abundance of baseball, soccer, and football fields throughout the county. The Membership of Huamakahikina emphasized the vital need for eouneil support, testifying that, 'As has always been the case, and more urgently with knowledge that more than half of all Maui residents were born out-of-state, the practices of hula and 'Ōiwi arts are extremely crucial for the maintenance of the unique identity and collective culture of the people of Maui County - most importantly to instill these practices and values within the future generations to eome. The Hālau of 'Ōiwi Art will not only serve as a necessary bastion for the practices of hula and 'Ōiwi arts, but it will also serve to show just how committed the Maui County Council is to the protection and continuation of the unique identity, eultural wellbeing, and eeonomie sustainability of the people of Maui County." An incredible set of testimonies in support of the Hālau of 'Oiwi Art was also provided by a mother-daugh-ters team comprised of Ofhce of Hawaiian Affairs Chair Carmen "Hulu" Lindsey, and her daughters, Kumu Hula

Kahulu Maluo-Pearson and Kumu Hula Nāpua Greig. Maluo-Pearson spoke of the challenges she and her sister faced early on in their careers as kumu hula. "My sister and I learned very quickly that a huge challenge every hālau deals with is finding a home - securing a plaee where your students feel safe, where the kumu hula feel safe. We went through years of moving from one facility to another." Lindsey recalled her own efforts to help her daughters, "I built a hālau for my daughters. Ihen, our neighbors complained of the excessive traffic on hālau days. Kumu hula do not charge enough to pay for rented spaces, yet our county has not made it a priority to invest in hula whieh, ultimately, is an investment in our community." Greig powerfully concluded her own testimony to the eouneil, "Now I urge you to be the model, the example, the blueprint, the heaeon for all of Hawai'i to follow. I urge when you approach the matter of funding this een- j ter, and others like it in the future, I ask you to not think ) of equal funding, but instead realize we are playing catchup." The Maui County Council has until June 10 to make its hnal decision, and puhlie support for the Hālau of 'Oiwi Art is still necessary. Should the budget be approved, construction of the Hālau of 'Oiwi Art could be completed by early 2026. ■ For more information on the Hālau of'Ōiwi Art, please visit www.hoamaui.com. Cody Kapueolaākeanui Pata is the kumu hula of Hālau Hula 'o Ka Malama Mahilani based in Kahului, Maui. He is also afounding memher ofHuatnakahikina, an award-win-ningHawaiian music recording artist, and the CulturalAdvisor to the Mayor ofMaui County. I

An artist's rendering of the proposed HūIūu of 'Oiwi Art thot will be located in the Wailuku Arts Distri_ct. If approved, the 47,000 sf facility would be the largest investment by any county or the state to create a permanent home for hulo and its associated 'Oiwi arts and practices. - Photos: Courtesy

Board of Trustees Chair Carmen "Hulu" Lindsey (center) and her daughKumu Hula Kahulu Maluo-Pearson (I) and Kumu Hula Nōpua Greig (r).

Hula HokOlani Holt, Ph.D. and Kumu Hula Cody Pueo Pata.