The author of Kumu Hula: Roots and Branches, is Dr. Ishmael Stagner, who has a long and deep record of involvement in documenting hula. He is a retired professor of education, Hawaiian studies and psychology at BYU-Hawai‘i, and was the force behind the tribute programs at BYUH in the 1970s and 1980s under the title "Nā Makua Mahalo ‘Ia." Video from these programs have appeared occasionally on YouTube.