At Hawaiʻi CC, Kanaka ‘ole legacy lives through hula and higher education

HILO, Hawaiʻi — As Hilo prepares to welcome the world for the Merrie Monarch Festival, Hawaiʻi Community College is highlighting its Associate in Arts in Hawaiian Studies with a concentration in hula—a program deeply rooted in the legacy of revered native Hawaiian kumu hula Edith Kanakaʻole.

Aunty Edith Kanaka‘ole’s philosophy: “Teach all who come to learn.”

Kanakaʻole established Hawaiian Studies at Hawaiʻi CC and UH Hilo in 1973, laying the foundation for programs that continue to thrive today. That vision was expanded by her daughter, Pualani Kanahele, who imagined a program that would revive the rituals and ceremonies of hula—bridging culture and academics.

The program’s impact is evident during Merrie Monarch, where participation in the festival’s opening ceremony has grown from about 30 individuals to more than 400 ritual practitioners, including students, alumni and community members.

For students, the experience blends classroom learning with hands-on practices tied to Hawaiʻi Island. Here, the students study in an unique environment, including learning hula Pele in the only place where Pele remains active today.

“Studying hula here at Hawaiʻi Community College goes beyond choreography,” says assistant professor and kumu hula Pele Kaʻio. “It exposes the learner to protocol, ceremony, traditional regalia, discipline and leadership.”

Students say the program has strengthened their cultural identity and connection to ʻohana.

For Kekoa Gabriel, who graduated with honors in Fall 2025 with triple A.A. degrees in Hawaiian studies-hula, Hawaiian studies-kapuahi foundations, and liberal arts, the program was enlightening — giving him a better vision of his kuleana (responsibility) to his community. “Because of this program I feel a lot more connected to my ancestors, my ‘ohana, my Hawaiian-ness, who I am as a Hawaiian,” says Kekoa. “I have a better look at where I want to go as a Hawaiian, who I want to be as a Hawaiian.”

Adds Kamryn Kanoe Bosque, who is pursuing her A.A. in Hawaiian studies- hula focus, “I expanded my knowledge more than I ever could have and I’m deeply grateful to be able to come here and learn more about my Hawaiian culture.”

The foundations of the Kanaka‘ole ‘ohana remain central to the program’s mission, says Taupōuri Tangarō, founder, kumu hula and advisor of Unukupukupu, the college’s halau hula, and also the term for its cultural-academic framework rooted in ʻAihaʻa Pele traditions. “Hula becomes the doorway through which learners come to know their purpose,” he says. “Students come to Hawaiʻi CC not simply to learn hula as performance, but to experience hula as a living practice grounded in ritual.”