Now add one Kekuhi Kanahele. And then one Nani Lim Yap. And then the legendary Alice Namakelua.
Then Puanani Alama. (Pull out your old 49th State 45s.)
Has California forgotten about Torrance's own Kekaimoku Yoshikawa, a falsetto contest runner-up? Another falsetto contest winner: Bulla Ka'iliwai.
On my coast we had kumu hula Edwin Mahina Bailey and Manu Ikaika.
If you are going to include Bill Lincoln, then you should probably include Pauline Kekahuna and John Pi'ilani Watkins. To my knowledge, none of these three were kumu hula by the modern definition and process. And they had hula studios - not halau. But would there be a Merrie Monarch Festival were it not for the efforts of Auntie Pauline?
Even Aunty Genoa had a hula studio.
~ Bill
Edited by - hwnmusiclives on 02/06/2012 04:35:08 AM
If you are going to include Bill Lincoln, then you should probably include Pauline Kekahuna and John Pi'ilani Watkins. To my knowledge, none of these three were kumu hula by the modern definition and process. And they had hula studios - not halau. But would there be a Merrie Monarch Festival were it not for the efforts of Auntie Pauline?
Even Aunty Genoa had a hula studio.
~ Bill
Lots of love for Sam Bernard for sure, as you can tell if you visit Auntie Wanda's Mele Monday list this week.
I guess we need a discussion concerning when "Hula Studios" started becoming "Hula Halau". It's my understanding that Maiki Aiu Lake was the first to use the term "Hula Halau", or isn't it really "Halau Hula"? Thanks for the Sam Bernard, Bill. I cherish the gift.
"The music of the Hawaiians, the most fascinating in the world, is still in my ears and haunts me sleeping and waking." Mark Twain
I guess we need a discussion concerning when "Hula Studios" started becoming "Hula Halau". It's my understanding that Maiki Aiu Lake was the first to use the term "Hula Halau", or isn't it really "Halau Hula"? Thanks for the Sam Bernard, Bill. I cherish the gift.
First, I am going to need to delete this entire thread when we're finished because there should be no evidence left behind of the sharing of copyrighted materials illicitly - even if those materials are out of print and the sharing was (as Basil would say) purely for "educational purposes."
As for the other issue, this isn't merely a matter of when the terminology kumu hula or halau came into usage. The terms leo ki'eki'e and ki ho'alu were created in the 1970s, but falsetto singing and slack key guitar already existed long before. This is not about the term kumu hula but about how the responsibilities of the teacher of hula may have changed throughout history.
It is not a distinction I have ever personally made. But it can spark heated debate in the birthplace of hula. I have referred to Louise and Luika Kaleiki (1970 Merrie Monarch winners) as "kumu hula", and I have been corrected that they were not, in fact, kumu hula but hula teachers. So, if we look at this with a researcher's eye, we can conjecture that a distinction is made between the skill set and preparation of the hula teacher and the skill set and preparation of the kumu hula because hula teachers and kumu hula coexisted in the same space in time and we didn't simply begin referring to the hula teachers who came before as kumu hula once term was coined like we did with falsetto singers and slack key guitarists.
I guess we need a discussion concerning when "Hula Studios" started becoming "Hula Halau".
It has been my understanding that instructors who have not been made kumu (involving `uniki) by their kumu can not call their assemblage or teaching hale "halau." But these folks can call it a "studio" or "hula troupe," or some such thing.
As Retro says, our little group of folks here in Northeast Ohio do not learn at a hula halau -- we are called Ka Hui Hula o ka `Aina Punahele. Our teacher here is `olapa with Aunty Mapuana de Silva and one of her very advanced students. She belongs to a special dedicated class of haumana, ones who have devoted a good 10 years of their life to studying with her. Some may "graduate" as future kumu hula and some may not. Even these advanced students have had 'uniki ceremonies to establish their blessing to teach students far away from Halau Mohala `Ilima. These methodologies have been passed down from Aunty Maiki Lake.
Kumu Hula as recording artists
Posted - 02/05/2012 : 1:08:09 PM
