Nālani Kanakaʻole wanted to bring the best out of all her students.
For years, Kanakaʻole had worked tirelessly in teaching her students hula at Hālau o Kekuhi. Her life’s work was dedicated to continuing the ancient traditions of Hawaiian chant and hula kahiko, teachings she inherited from her mother, Edith Kanakaʻole.
Even as she fell ill, Kanakaʻole was still leading the charge at Hālau o Kekuhi with her sister, Pualani Kanakaʻole Kanahele, and her niece, Huihui Kanahele-Mossman.
She continued her work, preparing her students for the annual Merrie Monarch Festival, when she died on Jan. 3 at the age of 79.
A public memorial service will honor the revered kumu hula and cultural matriarch on Feb. 21 at the Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium in Hilo.
Shaping the next generation
Family and friends described Nālani Kanakaʻole as a strict, dedicated kumu hula and a gifted artist.
Kainoa Thornton, who has been dancing hula at Hālau o Kekuhi for 23 years, is the last cohort to train in hula under Kanakaʻole’s instructions.
Thornton described her as no-nonsense, and that Kanakaʻole stressed that he and his classmates build a relationship with the environment. Most of the mele that Kanakaʻole’s students learn is about nature.
“That’s the ritual of hula,” Thornton said. “It’s how we understand and interact with the world around us.”
What he will remember most about Kanakaʻole is how she showed up for her students and the hālau — no matter what.
“That was her priority,” Thornton said. “That legacy is the kuleana that all her students have inherited from her.”
Just as Kanakaʻole would show up for her students, Thornton said he and his classmates would reciprocate those efforts back.
As Kanakaʻole never stepped back as she fell ill, Thornton said that she left them with the instructions for Merrie Monarch and other projects they’ve been working on.
Thornton said he will remember that Kanakaʻole loved to travel and share her style of hula with the world. He said he will miss hearing her voice in hālau.
“All her lessons of commitment and following through on our kuleana, that is keeping us going right now," he said.
Younger years
Born Faith Nālani Kanakaʻole on March 19, 1946, she was raised in a household that spoke Hawaiian on a Hawaiian homestead in Hilo.
She started teaching hula when she was 14.
Her friends remembered her as always up for an adventure. She used to hop in the seat of her friend’s station wagon and drive to various places on Big Island, especially anywhere mostly nature.
Kiwalaʻo Hollis Taylor, a longtime friend and student, said Kanakaʻole always carried a notebook, where she would write poetry and songs. If Kanakaʻole wasn’t writing poetry, she would play the ukulele and sing.
“I was so drawn to that talent of hers,” Taylor said. “She had the gift of music. I’m so glad she touched my life the way she did.”
Kamuela Chun, who has been dancing hula since the 1970s, said his favorite memories with Kanakaʻole are when they would get together to sing and dance.
“It was all about enjoying the music and hula,” Chun said.
When she became kumu hula at Hālau o Kekuhi, she knew her role, and her friends said they understood that.
“Our friend roles stopped at the door (halau),” said Raymond Kauwamakani Elia, who was one of Kanakaʻole's students. “When she was kumu hula, our interactions changed. We were fortunate enough to share those good moments with her.”
Kanakaʻole's friends say they are grateful to have learned from her, and dedicated their lives to hula.
Kanakaʻole was a woman of few words, but that’s because she was observing, according to her friends and family. If she had something to say, people knew it was important.
Chun said one thing that people may not know about her is that during her time in Kona, she used to dance other Polynesian dances, including Maori, Samoan and Fijian dances.
Another memory Chun had of Kanakaʻole is when they pierced each other's noses and ears. While Kanakaʻole’s nose piercing fell out early on, Chun still has his ear piercing to this day.
Keeping the family tradition alive
Nālani Kanakaʻole’s style of hula is rooted in tradition passed down by her mother, Edith Kanakaʻole.
Huihui Kanahele-Mossman is a kumu hula and the executive director of the Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation. She’s also Nālani Kanakaʻole's niece.
Kanahele-Mossman said Nālani Kanakaʻole’s style of hula differs from other styles of hula.
“In some types of hula, the extension of the hand or the arm for instance are very soft,” Kanahele-Mossman said. “They’re not extended all the way. But Auntie’s wasn’t. Auntie was very rigid and straight. It follows along the traditions that she learned from.”
Kanahele-Mossman added that Kanakaʻole’s dance style was graceful and low to the ground.
“Those shapes and spaces that the hula dancer creates depicts the natural phenomena that occurs in the mele that she teaches her students,” she said. “Hence, the perfection that Auntie demanded because if she doesn't see the hula dancer creating that dynamic picture for the audience that she wanted them to create, then they’re not doing it right.”
Kanakaʻole’s world was centered around hula as much as Kanahele-Mossman's. Since Kanakaʻole’s passing, Kanahele-Mossman has been taking the lead in teaching her students at the halau.
Kanahele-Mossman said she feels her presence most in the halau.
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