Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 1, 1 January 2016 — LIVING THE CULTURE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

LIVING THE CULTURE

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The Hawaii Theatre stage will shine with the pure joy of hula in a concert on January 30, as Kumu Hula Mapuana de Silva celebrates 40 years since she was graduated as kumu by the late Aunty Maiki Aiu Lake, and 40 years of teaching - taking the great leap of faith to open Hālau Mōhala 'Ilima on a cement pad in the backyard of her family home in Ka'ōhao, O'ahu. "Back then, after our 'ūniki, our graduation in 1975, we couldn't stay on with our kumu," de Silva explains. "In order to eontinue to dance we had to find a plaee to dance or start our own hālau. I had encouragement from my hula brother and Kamehameha Schools classmate, Robert Cazimero." So, with encouragement from many friends and family, on Jan. 31,1976, Hālau Mōhala 'Ilima was born. The hālau name eame as a gift from friend and scholar Lokomaika'i Snakenberg. "Charles Hopkins presented the blessing. Aunty Leiana Woodside, Aunty Maiki, Aunty Lani Kalama, Aunty Irmguard Aluli, Vicky Holt īakamine, Wayne Chang, Kepā Maly

and others where there at the birth of the hālau," recalls de Silva. "Many of my immediate family and the hula family eame; hula brothers and sisters, teachers, musicians, all celebrating the beginning." Our hula world Talking about the early days when she first studied hula with Aunty Maiki, de Silva explains that it was a different time of leamina, different from the experience of todav's

highly scheduled lifestyle. "Onee we entered Aunty Maiki's hālau, the door closed and

class began. It wasn't over until the door opened, and that i was sometimes very L. late into the night. We were in our hula world for that time, and that world 4 was not dictated by a Western eloek. Our class was 'our world' and the time was the Hawaiian

process of allowing things to happen in their own time." Lake was known as a strong teacher, offering love and respect and an open heart and ear for her dancers. She is quoted in many articles as saying, "take what I have given you and make it better." The same philosophy is alive in de Silva's teaching. Her hula sister, īakamine, is often a Merrie Monarch Hula Competition judge. Her hula brother, Cazimero, presents his hālau everv 10

/ears. In 2016, de Silva's hālau will perform for the 38th consecutive ^ year at Merrie Monarch, the

record for hula successive presentations at the world famous festival in Hilo, Hawai'i. Fun with Mickey is something all young dancers hope for, ever since Kumu and the hālau first found their way to Magic Music Days on Center Stage at Disneyland and one invita-

tion expanded 1 to many. It was an opportunity for the pre-teens to learn the art of travel.

Adult dancers have traveled to Maui, Hawai'i Island and Kaua'i to dance the

hula of those places. With four dancers to a room or a eahin, assignments and "homework" to complete and dancing from dawn to dark, hālau travel "Mapu-style," is an all-new adult experience with a focus that couldn't be found on a vacation visit. For one Merrie Monarch presentation the dancers needed to experience a voyage to an island with no signs of civilization. The now-defunct American Hawaii Cruise Lines provided the venue. The captain made an executive decision, turned the 850-passen-ger ship and sailed up the back side of Lānai where the dancers could experience an island from the oeean view. The captain commented that it was amazing how convincing Kumu Mapuana de Silva could be.

■ AB0VE and INSET: * Hālau Mōhala 'llima and Kumu Hula Mapuana de Silva perform at the Prince Lot ula Festival; LEFT: Robert

Cazimero, Mapuana de Silva, Manu Boyd, Vicky Holt Takamine and Miehael Pili Pana pose for a photo

at the Prince Lot Hula Festival. - Photos: Wayne Iha; RIGHT: Kumu Hula Mapuana de Silva and members of Hālau Mōhala 'llima honor Hōkūle'a and her crew. - Photo: Niek Masagatani Hawaiian voice As a kumu and as a Hawaiian, de Silva does stand up and represent. In 1997, with the hula 'ohana she stood for 24 hours at the Hawai'i State Legislature, waiting for the members of the House and Senate to discuss the issue of gathering rights. According to the draft resolutions, developers wanted to ban access. It seemed to be an issue of money, and fortunately, the issue was tabled. Last spring, leading hundreds of passionate

dancers, kumu guided her hālau directly up Mauna Kea to honor the mountain and, again, be the voice of reason in a confrontational situation. Another passion is the adventure and success of the voyaging canoes. When Hōkūle'a, Hikianalia or Hawai'iloa arrive in Kailua, Hālau Mōhala 'Ilima is there to greet and weleome the crew and the supporters. When one of her own, Kaleo Wong trained and then served as navigator of Hōkūle'a between

New Zealand and Sydney, Australia, the hālau was there to join

the indigenous peoples greeting the eanoe on the Worldwide Voyage.

Thriving culture j Like everything Hālau Mōhala 'Ilima does in hula - research, writing and on-stage presentations - respect is foremost on the list. From four-yea

old students to those over 80, the first thing you learn from the kumu is to line up your slippers at the door. Take care of your hula materials, your implements, your hula book with notes and your attire. Dancers agree if you begin hula life in mid-life it takes more "learning" than the "babies." A running joke among the adult dancers is that if they attend an event and piles of slippers are at the door all "hemmajang" - you just have to line them all up.

\t de Silva's halau, dancers may stay on after 'ūniki. Some start their

own hālau but still participate in the concerts. It is not unusual to spot the face

ot a Jxumu dancing īn the i line with Hālau Mōhala 1 1 'Ilima hula sisters from f their early Merrie MonV arch Festival days. Kumu de Silva believes the traditional ways of learning still exist and thrive. The festivals of he Paeihe Arts are an exam-

ple. "I look at my life as being in the right plaee at the right time." Attending the festivals in New Caledonia in 2000, she developed a greater understanding of the value of sharing indigenous knowledge. First attending, then leading the Hawai'i delegation, the de Silvas knew the wealth of cultural information that the festivals bring. They led the Hawai'i delegations to Palau, American Samoa, and the Solomon Islands' festivals. Guam is the next festival, in 2016. De Silva is now on the governing board of the festivals and thanks to her efforts Hawai'i has now won the bid for the 2020 gathering. The festivals will bring an intimate and in-depth cultural experience to the Hawaiian Islands with thousands of indigenous artisans who will share their traditions and knowledge, art, dance and music. There have been thousands of students, performances, and cherished memories for de Silva over the past 40 years. During the eoncert, the audience will experience moments of the culture, the fun and a plethora of surprises that are unexpected, alive and are guaranteed on January 30, at Hawaii Theatre. It will be a night of "lucky we live. . ." ■

40th Anniversary Holomua Ka No'eau Concert, i "My 'llima Souvenirs" When: Saturday, January 30, 6 p.m. Kumu Mapuana de Silva's Hālau Mōhala 'llima Special guest Vicky Holt Takamine and her Pua Ali'i 'llima dancers. Music by Keauhou with a roster of surprise guests. Cost: Tickets $30, $40 Where: Hawaii Theatre charge by phone 808-528-0506 or buy online at www. hawaiitheatre.com. Hika'alani Commemorative 2016 calendar Celebrates Hawaiian culture and hula ^ featuring Hālau Mōhala 'llima $12, available at Na Mea Hawai'i Benefits the Hika'alani Foundation, a 501-c3 non-profit dedicated to re-establish Wai'auia as a center of stewardship and learning where Hawaiian culture in Kailua ean again thrive as it did in centuries past.

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