Kūhai Hālau O Leipuakukuiokalani Pā 'Ōlapa Kahiko
Leadership
LEHUA KAWAIKAPUOKALANI HEWETT
Lehua shares hula at the Polynesian Cultural Center
Moanikeala Hula Festival- La'ie, Hawai'i 2023
Photo Credit: Kari Vanderzwaag
We are grateful and fortunate for the guidance and support of Kawaikapuokalani K. Hewett. Lehua, as he is affectionately addressed, is a distinguished Loea Hula (hula expert), gifted haku mele (poet and composer of songs), traditional healer, and revered kupuna with a 25 generation ancestral legacy in Hawaii. Lehua has dedicated his life to hula, and for over five decades, he has shared the art of hula across the globe.
As an accomplished haku mele, Lehua has been honored with several Na Hoku "Song of the Year"awards, and his influence on Hawaiian music has also earned him a Na Hoku Lifetime Achievement Award. In October of 2022, Lehua was recognized for his musical excellence when he was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame.
Lehua holds an honorary doctorate, cementing his status as a respected cultural icon and resource of deep knowledge. He is a professor at University of Hawaii's Windward Community College where he shares his extensive knowledge of the art of Hula, 'Ōlelo Hawaii, and Mo'ōlelo with future generations.
KUMU TYRA LEIPUAKUKUIOKALANI MANUARII CALERO
Meaningful journeys often come full circle; today, I live blocks away from where my hula journey began. From our backyard, I can see the church where I took my first hula lesson. Looking ahead, it is with care and deep sense of kuleana that we grow into our new hālau name Kūhai Hālau O Leipuakukuiokalani Pā 'Ōlapa Kahiko. As the name suggests, we embrace the kuleana to follow the traditions of hula shared within our hula lineage. In doing so, we honor the kupuna who illuminated a path and guide future generations in the hula tradition.
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ABOUT THE JOURNEY
I look my first hula lesson at the age of 8. My first teacher, Cheryl Cook, taught class at a local church in Sacramento, California. There, she introduced me to Kumu Hula - Uncle John Manuia - with whom I studied hula kāhiko. In the early ‘90s through the early 2000s, I was a Polynesian entertainer with Cheryl Cook (Aloha Polynesia) and that is when she introduced me to Kimo and Kumu Jill Baird (Spirit of Polynesia) of Danville, California. While I was in my 20s and early 30s, hula also took me to Canada, Hawai'i, Tahiti, and Spain.
In the early 2000s, I rededicated myself specifically to study of hula. During that time, Loea Hula (hula master) and Haku Mele (composer/poet), Lehua Kawaikapuokalani Hewett graciously extended an invitation to study hula under his direction and mentorship, and follow the path lead by the Kumu Hula who came before him grandmother Eva Kana’e, Aunty Edith Kanaka’ole, Aunty ʻIolani Luahine, and Aunty Emma DeFries.
In 2007- as a member of the Papa Maile cohort at Kahalehula, and under the wing of Lehua Kawaikapuokalani Hewett, my hula journey was marked by the culmination of an 'Ūniki ‘Olapa ceremony. During that time, I served as adjunct professor at American River College, where I taught Polynesian and Hawaiian dance until 2019. That same year, I founded our hula school Ka Hula O Manuarii and adapted, as many others did, by teaching and learning via zoom for our first two years. I also became a zoom student, while studying 'Olelo Hawaii with Kumu Kahanuola Solatorio.
In 2023, I continued my study of hula, mo'o olelo, oli, and protocol under the wing of Lehua Kawaikapuokalani Hewett, both in Hawaii and in O'ahu. Those years of study with Papa Kukui cohort culminated in a graduation 'Ūniki in 2026. At that time, Lehua blessed our hālau with a new name Kūhai Hālau O Leipuakukuiokalani Pā 'Ōlapa Kahiko. As the name suggests, we embrace the kuleana to follow the traditions of hula shared within our hula lineage. In doing so, we honor the kupuna who illuminated a path and guide future generations in the hula tradition.
Me Ke Aloha,
Kumu Tyra Leipuakuikuiokalani Calero
AUNTY SWATI KO'I'ULA SHENDE
Aunty Swati Ko'i'ula (rainbow hued mist) supports our keiki hula class. Whether learning ukulele or traveling to 'Oahu with Ka Hula O Manuarii to learn from Lehua Kawaikapuokalani Hewett, she seeks avenues to learn and grow, and has become a leader in our hula kula. She began her study with Tyra in 2008, and later served as Tyra's teaching assistant at American River College; Ko'i'ula now leads our childrens' hula class on Wednesday evenings.
Aunty Swati leading keiki (children) at our first annual Keiki Summer Day Camp in 2023.