Nā Kumu Hula ArchiveCelebrating Excellence in Hula Preservation
>> Nā Kumu Hula Mae Lobenstein and Granddaughter Maelia
It is with great pleasure that the Kalihi-Pālama Culture & Arts Society introduces the Nā Kumu Hula Archives and the home of the Lohe I Ka Leo | Hear the Voice Project. Based on the 1984 and 1997 Nānā I Nā Loea Hula Books published by Kahu Wendell Silva and Kalihi-Pālama Culture & Arts Society, this Archive strives to make the knowledge of many of Hawaiʻi's most cherished Nā Kumu Hula available to the global audience.
Thus, the question confronting and polarizing the hula community of today is “How can the hula be best perpetuated and yet still retain its identity as a traditional Hawaiian dance form?” The answer to this question lies in the hearts and minds of its exponents. Nānā I Nā Loea Hula (Look to the Hula Resources), is the Kalihi-Palama Culture & Arts Society, Inc.’s effort to introduce and recognize some of these representatives of Hawaiʻi’s hula teaching community who have dedicated their lives toward sharing and perpetuating the art of hula.
Celebration of Hula
hoʻokahua / To LAY A FOUNDATIONAfter the Executive Director of the Kalihi-Pālama Culture & Arts Society created the Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula Compettion in the ealy 1970ʻs, he went on to lay a foundation to record and document Nā Kumu Hula and their Hula Line through the Nānā I Na Loea Hula resource books. Through these books we have been able to to get a glimpse into the lives of Nā Kumu Hula, their training, and their ʻike - their knowledge with some of the insight in the books dating back 100 years.
Preservation
Mālama pono ʻia / Well Cared ForMany of the Nā Kumu Hula Archive items and Lohe I Ka Leo - Hear the Voice recordings were created many years ago that used technologies of the time and preservation has become a critical mission.
The Nā Kumu Hula Archive will be working with the Hawaiʻi State Archives to mālama pono ʻia hand and type written documents, photos and analog recordings for safe keeping in their state of the art temperature controlled facilities.
IMAGES OF ITEMS FROM THE NĀ KUMU HULA COLLECTION << SWIPE >>
WORDS OF WISDOM
Lohe I Ka Leo / Hear the VoiceKalihi-Pālama Culture & Arts Society has been the steward of original voice recordings from interviews conducted by Kahu Wendell Silva which the text contained within the treasured two-volume set entitled Nānā I Nā Loea Hula are based. Each recording contains information, observations, and commentary beyond the printed volumes and was unable to be previously presented due to space restrictions and editorial limitations.
More About LOHE I KA LEO
“The H.T. Hayashi Foundation believes that culture and art ground us and [provide] the foundation for a society to understand who they are and where they came from.”
Ms. Jan Harada
Uncle Wendell Silva had great foresight when he put this together because many of these Kumu Hula tell their stories in their own words and its so wonderful to get a glimpse into their lives, their training, and their ʻike - their knowledge.
Maelia Lobenstein-Carter
“Through the foresight and ethnographic work of one of our founders Kahu Wendell Silva, the Kalihi-Pālama Culture & Arts Society has become a caretaker of unique and primary hula resource materials [that date back over a century].”
Kehaulani Watson-Sproat, Ph.D., JD.
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