Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 3, 1 March 2010 — By Len Jury [ARTICLE]

By Len Jury

Eaeh year following the holidays and as the snow falls and the temperature drops to zero or helow, hula comes to Cleveland. Kau Inoa is also present at the North Coast Hula Workshop and Lū'au, an annual event, whieh took plaee Jan. 15 to 17. Sign-ups were light, but I had many non-Hawaiians sign up in support of our Native Hawaiian governing entity. Hālau Ka Hui Hula O Ka 'Āina Punahele of Twinsburg, Ohio, under the leadership of Miehelle "Malie" Taylor, organize and run the North Coast Hula Workshop. Kumu Hula Mapuana de Silva and Kihei de Silva accompanied by the Merrie Monarch musicians 'Ale'a and the Merrie Monarch Dancers of Hālau Mohala 'Ilima were featured this year. The funds raised the first four years of this workshop along with the Saturday evening auction and Hō'ike went to the loeal Twinsburg Library. This year the recipient was the Northern Ohio Chapter of the ALS Association. ALS, or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. This was in part due to the fact that a member of the hālau is afflicted with this incurable disease. Classes are held Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the attendees, and several of kumu's advanced students remain Monday and Tuesday for additional instruction. Friday evening we all had the pleasure of onolicious grinds provided by former Big Island resident Ku'ualoha Awai, who now owns a Hawaiian restaurant and sushi shop (Coconut Hut) in Geneva, Ohio. On Saturday evening, a lū'au, silent auction and hō'ike featured the Musicians and Merrie Monarch Dancers of Hālau Mohala 'Ilima. Also performing at the hō'ike were the women, men and keiki of Ka Hui Hula O Ka 'Āina Punahele. ■ Len Jury is a Midwest Representative for Kau lnoa.