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ʻIke Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Knowledge)
Hawaiian Language Immersion Experience
E HOʻOULU A OLA KA ʻŌLELO HAWAIʻI
WANNA GROW YOUR HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE?
This powerful four-hour interactive workshop is designed with you, the learner, in mind. You will be immersed in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, where we invite folks to embrace everything about our ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi in a safe, welcoming, and non-judgmental space.
Rooted in the traditional Hawaiian way of learning, we begin with what matters most: “Why ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi?” Next, we explore historical accounts, the alphabet (pīʻāpā), speech drills, and introduction. You will then have an opportunity to practice, reflect, and share what ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi means to you personally - building a deeper connection to you as a person, kanaka, and to your past.
To support your learning, youʻll have access to practical tools and resources you can immediately apply in your daily life. Finally, we will reflect on the most important question of all: “Now that I have this knowledge, what do I do with it?”
No prior Hawaiian language experience is needed - just a desire to learn. Be prepared for movement, including sitting and standing, as all stimuli are activated to ensure successful learning.
This is more than a workshop - it's the beginning or continuation of your journey to reclaim and revitalize our ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Join us!
SUPPLIESPlease bring a cotton fabric garment
(white or red T-shirt or a jean jacket) and a water bottle
(such as a Hydro Flask or a similar reusable bottle)
for this highly interactive experiential session.
Recommended Age: 12 and older
Duration: 4 hours
Class size limit: 30 participants
One time slot available:
-
Workshop Sessions 3-4 | Saturday, 9:00 AM - 1:15 PM
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Your Instructor
Kuʻualohanui
Kauliʻa
Maui
D. Kuʻualohanui Kauliʻa was born in ʻEwa-Oʻahu, but raised on Hawaiian Homestead Land in Nānākuli. He comes from a family of 10 children, in which he is the muli loa (youngest). His father was born in Kakaʻako, but raised in Kaʻū until his teenage years. His mother's ʻohana comes from Hāna, Maui.
From a very early age, Kuʻu was able to speak Hawaiian with the help of his father, family elders, and kūpuna from the Hawaiian community of Waiʻanae. He later learned and grasped the Niʻihau dialect of the Hawaiian language. Growing up in a family of Hawaiian entertainers and recording artists from the 1930s, 1960s, and 1970s, he was often surrounded by traditional Hawaiian music as far back as he can remember. His journey in hula began in February 1980, initially with Kumu Hula (Loea) Leialoha Lim Amina. He further learned hula from C. Hoku Rasmussen, Moon and Lydia Kauakahi, Darrell Lupenui, John Kaʻimikaua, George Holokaʻi, and Kimo Alama-Keaulana, whom he was trained. He completed his ʻūniki rites in hula ʻōlapa, hula ʻalaʻapapa, and hula pahu. In the early 1990s, he also learned various hula and traditional oli under the tutelage of Kumu Hula Kalani Akana. Kuʻu taught in the Department of Education Hawaiian Immersion Program from 1987 to 1997, then taught middle school students at ʻIlima Intermediate School and the Kamehameha Schools Maui Campus. His teachings extended to other islands, the Continental U.S., and Japan since the mid to late 1990s. Kuʻu’s most recent past two and a half decades were dedicated to the legacy work at the Queen Liliʻuokalani Childrenʻs Center and the Kamehameha Schools. In February 2000, he was trained as a Haku Hoʻoponopono under his mentor, Aunty Malia Craver. In 2007, Aunty Malia asked Kuʻu to be one of her kākoʻo in helping to mentor and train 24 Kamehameha School staffers who completed the course. Kuʻu recently retired from the Kamehameha Schools on December 31, 2022. Prior to his retirement, Kuʻu also mentored and completed a hula training class, graduating (ʻūniki hula) six haumāna to carry on the hula legacy of Loea Hula Joseph Ilalaole, who hailed from Kaʻū and Puna, Hawaiʻi. This hula lineage is one that Kuʻu holds dearest to his heart. This ongoing love for hula, Kuʻu says, was inspired by his mentor, Kimo Alama-Keaulana.
E ola, e ola, e ola loa i ke aloha!