 videos of Fintech Hawaii in downtown office in Makiki. I'd love to introduce you to a Kumu who just loves his heritage and wants to share it with as many as he can from kupuna to Kiki. Let's welcome Kumu Kamaka Kona. And I'm just so excited. I've not met him live, but I've seen his work and I'm just welcome. Welcome, Kamaka. Aloha, Aloha. Thank you, Aunty Wendy. Okay, let's get started. So before we go and talk about the halos and your teaching, tell us a little bit about yourself. Well, let's see. I was born and raised in the island of Maui. And I moved to Oahu to become a border at Kamehameha at a young age. I went to the University of Hawaii, studied fashion management actually, and Hawaiian studies. I've been, I returned home after graduation. I moved to, I've been home about, I would say 17 years now on Maui. The halau is going to be celebrating 20 years next year in 2003. Wow. So I've been teaching quite a while now. Exciting. Yeah, it's a lifelong career for you. It's probably just your lifestyle of who you are and who you've become. So everyone probably sees you on the street and say, hey, how's it going, right? Yeah, yeah. Maybe some don't know even your name. Small town, that's why. Small town too, in Maui, in Wailu. And good for you that you returned home. There's such great talent in Maui. And I think that's why everybody just retreats back to their homeland of Maui. And I guess you get inspired because of the culture and the lands there. But I notice a lot of great entertainers are residing and coming from Maui. And when you leave, you come back. So that's important. Yeah. Right? Yeah, absolutely. So, Goma, what is the name of your halau and how long have you been teaching it under that name? Halau o kahanu lehua, which means the school in the breath of the lehua blossom has been established. Well, actually, I became a kumu hula in 2003. I graduated through formal onikirites from the lineage. My kumu is Mekamamalu klain from the lineage of Maiki Aiyu Lake. And the halau actually opened in 2004. So I've been a kumu for 20 years. The halau is 19 years old. And we've seen, I would say, anywhere between, coming in 20 years, coming through the door, between 1,000 and 2,000 students in that 20-year history, yeah. Wow, how amazing is that? Like any teacher, you know, seeing the different ages, the generations, and I'm sure if it's 20 years plus, you've probably seen some keiki rise up and then had, do they come back with their children and their family as well? Yeah, it's a cycle of life. It's history repeats itself. Yeah. Well, that means you must be good at it. Keep coming back to you. Yeah, that's good. I know I see some people, some of your students in your group that I recognize. So I know and I hear only good things. So I know you must be an amazing kumu and so proud of having to share your journey with us today. So I wanted to ask you, what is the age range of students that are currently enrolled? The youngest right now, I think, and we don't normally take a three-year-old, but I do believe that we did make an exception. So the youngest baby right now is three, almost four. Normally, we'll require them to be, have reached four years old before they start, but three is the youngest currently and Antipatsisaki is 90. She just celebrated her 90, actually her 91st birthday. Wow, and I know we have a photo of her individually that will show at the, oh, there she is. Amazing, and she looks at epitome of health, and I know a lot has to do with what she's doing daily in the teaching and the dancing of hula. So we're gonna get through all of that because it's so important. So again, we're gonna ask you, how does hula contribute to a person's health and well-being at each stage of their lives? Well, you know, I think that for the most part, people when people come to hula, they know that they're gonna learn the fundamentals of dancing. So number one, the moving their body, moving your body is a given. You know that you're gonna have to move your body in hula. So when you make that a lifelong habit at an early age, it kind of, you know, it helps your body throughout your days, throughout your life actually in other things. You know, it helps in sports. I say, I complain because sometimes I, these little cakey come to hula and they become really, really good dancers, physical dancers, and then they say, okay, I wanna try volleyball now. I'm like, no, because I know that they're gonna become good volleyball players too. You know, so a bullet dancers make excellent athletes. Athletes, yes, for sure. But I don't see it the other way around because when I get to them as a sports person and then they try hula, it's awkward. Oh, for sure, for sure. That'd be me, okay. No can, no can, it only goes one way, for sure. For sure. And so the physical aspect of always moving and your body always exercising weekly, week in and week out, it becomes a good function, a good habit. You know, and I can really see that because I used to dance hula as a cakey and then that happened to me, right? I went jump the fence, I went the other way, but do you know that when we, even when we clean house, you know, anybody, when they clean house, once you are hula dancer. So you're not just sweeping, you're like sweeping and moving, you know? You incorporate hula into your daily lifestyle. And then instead of just sweeping like this, now you're incorporating the moves. So you're burning more calories, you're becoming more physical because now you're incorporating. So exactly, I can see the correlation between longevity and hula right there. I mean, so, so right there. So how do you encourage a healthy lifestyle for your dancers? Well, you know, I do, I do, from a very young age, I tell them that, you know, Kumu doesn't smoke and I don't condone it. And so I kind of nonchalantly put that in these young kids' ears. So if I catch you guys and I see you guys in public, you know, I'm gonna kick you out. Yeah, no, no, it's good. That's good. You know, that's just one of the things that the kids, they, from very early on, like, oh, Kumu doesn't want, no, no smoking, no smoking, that's how. But another thing too is I do encourage that they go out to the beach and make, go hiking, because we gotta pick our delays, our, you know, our ferns and our foliage. And so I do encourage them to go hiking too, up to El Valley and stuff like that. And we kind of implement it in class so that they're ma'a, they're familiar, how to do that on their own time. And so it's something that they voluntarily wanna do. Those are several examples in which I try to expand their, not just hula in, you know, dancing in the class, but other things. But lifestyle choices. And, you know, we all know children respond to friends and people of influence like yourself. So you actually have more power than a lot of their parents, because if Kumu says not to smoke, if Kumu says you're going hiking because we gotta pick, they're gonna listen because they're under instruction. But when parents try to tell them this, you know, as well as I do, you know, it doesn't happen as readily and as easily because the respect for our Kumu is so reverent. So yes, you have all the power in your hand, Kumu. And I'm so glad that you're encouraging the right choices like that and continue that. It's powerful. Yeah, ma'a halo, ma'a halo. And then what about diet? You know, I know the physical part about it, but what about the diet of your dancers? Does that matter? Well, yeah, it does. And yet, you know, so for the longest time, I was in the best shape of my life. It's only when I turned 40, and it's difficult to upkeep, you know, like the small waistline, like from 40 years old, I just, I think everything went downhill. Yes. And though, you know, Kumu is not looking so fit anymore, I do stress to the students that when, you know, eating the right things, what you put in your body, it's gonna help you have stamina and endurance and power when you're dancing. And it also is gonna not clog your brain so that you can also think clearly and process the stories too, because they still gotta translate, and they still gotta memorize all of the storyline, the melee and all of that other stuff too. So, you know, I do, and I see some of the kids, these young kids, I don't know, they picked up these bad Starbucks habits early on when the parents come to drop them off to Hula, and I see the mocha, like the Starbucks Frappuccinos, and like, it's, you know, that really is not good. It's packed with sugar and... Amen, look at you. Yeah. And so, you know, you have all the power to make that part of your, oh, you have Kumu doesn't want us to spend money on, you know, sweet coffee drinks because it's not a natural way, it's not the Hawaiian way, it's not natural diet and intake. So, yes, if that's what you wanna implement, Kumu, for sure, I applaud you for that. And you know, the fact that you turn 40, and you know that the vision becomes less and you gotta stretch your head farther away, the weight stays on, doesn't come off, right? Now at 45, sometimes I wake up and I feel tingles in my feet and I'm like, oh, no. Yeah. And let me tell you, Kumu, it's starting younger, like at my age, and your age was 40, but for the keiki coming up, they're gonna feel these aches and pains, probably in their 35s, and it's sooner or not the 30s. So, you see, because of the breakdown of diet, so yes, you have a right to advise and control them because you know, through your experience at 40, things change. So, imagine 35 and imagine 30. So, yes, and encourage and then live by, share by experience, because what your experience is for real choice. It is, it is what it is. So, okay, so do you think that young children are keiki become better individuals in their teens and eventually in their adulthood because of the lessons and rigorous training of being in a hula halau? I do believe it makes a difference. Well, just at the base level, like I was saying, physically speaking, they're gonna be controlled to know a certain thing and it's repetition and it's commitment and first off, those things, when you grow up knowing how to be committed to an activity, a sport, and then you commit your time and your energy and your loyalty to that sport, it becomes a passion. Then it wipes out all the other possible bad things that these kids could be possibly doing on the street. I believe when I have them here at the hula halau, the more I have them in the studio, the less they are doing other things all around, wherever it might be. I cannot control social media and I cannot control the fact that their parents let them have their own, phone smartphones. Does that kind of just threw a whole wrench into this scheme of life that as islanders, we're kind of special in that we grow up in a certain way and we're raised to the beach, play outside and having technology nowadays, it kind of just dampened the whole structure of even halau because now they're under, instead of hula sisters, kind of mingling and just laughing and now they sit and wait on their phones. So it's a different animal right now but I do believe that they still become better thinkers and better choice makers and all around better, well-rounded human beings because of the things that we teach and we instill in the halau and it's not just hula. It's really not just hula, it's life lessons. Right and you know, Kumu, you actually have total control over this. So you can make the rules, right? When you enter into the studio, all phones aside, you guys sit there, you talk story, you practice, you find out what's Sally, what's Kehal doing and you guys talk story and when I'm in Kumu walks in the room, no phones, no social media and you know, make the rule, bro. You're a teacher, you're a hula there, you go for it and even the 92 year old, you make the rule, she know can go on the social media too because the rule is dead and the respect from you, I mean, that's the whole teaching right there is a respect. So yeah, whatever you're teaching in your studio, that's exactly who they are. So the more discipline and guidance they get, then that's well who they become. And so, and that's why I see your people and I meet with them and I just love it because I know that you have that sense of discipline which a lot of us lack and so they're gonna look to you for that. So you're not only the Kumu, you're the papa, you're the best friend, you're the veterinarian, right? So, take advantage of that opportunity that you can mode and shape the futures in these kikis as well as even the kupuna, we can learn a thing or two. Yeah, and especially those that come from unstable homes, to call out for them, this is people. You know, cause there's somethings to come. Week in and week out and they know they know who they're dealing with and they know what their kuleana is here. And I think that sometimes certain cycles don't end up not repeating themselves in family structures because that particular child, and I've seen it, in 20 years I've seen a lot of things and I've seen where I get the lucky charm student of the child of the family that didn't have such great circumstances and she went on to become a doctor. And now she's in Salt Lake City doing her service to her church and... Give her a shout out, call on her name. Call them out, call them out. That's an accomplishment, good for her. Many more stories like that coming out of you. That's what we want to boast about, yeah. Yeah, it does help when they're here. It does, it does. Wow. And so I know that you feel that Hula is a key to longevity of life, both physically and mentally. I mean, right there you just nailed it and yes, it is. Yeah, and that's what you want to believe and that's what you want to instill in all these kiki as well as the kukuna. Good for you. Yeah. Right? Yeah, and I think they understand the fact that when they come to Hula, okay, they're not just dancing now. You are culturally immersed in everything Hula. So when we learn a new song, a new mele, they're going to have to translate. I mean, they're going to get the words, of course, but they're going to have to memorize the words and look up certain words to make it stick in your head because Hula is really about the story. So they're challenging their mental capacity as well as their physical because you got to not only remember choreography, you got to remember the words to the song, you got to remember what they mean and you got to remember why Kumu chose those, that choreography to represent that song. So all kinds of functions are being challenged and that's, to me, I think that's what's keeping my kupuna going so long. Amen for sure, for sure man. Challenged every week. Every week at five PM, Monday afternoon, Tuesday afternoon. They look forward to it. That's probably the highlight of their lives because their brains are stimulated, like you said, they're being challenged mentally, physically, you know, and then they get to socialize with people that they love and they get to see you, you know, and show them, show you the love and respect that you show them. So it's all, you know, back and forth. So you're in a good position, Kumu. You know what they do for a long time. The joke is, the joke is that Antipatsy, Mrs. Saki, she's 91. She's still the carpool driver. So she, she's still the DMV when renew her license. So she actually, she picks up four other kupuna before they come to Hula. And so this one, she told me Kumu, she called me Kumusan, Kumusan. I don't think I'm going to be able to come to Hula anymore because I don't know if they're going to renew my license and they renewed her license. Well, she's capable, right? Probably more capable than most of the young drivers on there because she's very alert, right? That's because her training, what you train her in class. So I said, well, you know, if I got to pick you up, I will, she goes, well, you got to pick me up and the four other ladies too because I pick them up. She said, okay, I pick all five of you guys up. Oh, I am so fine, so cute. Those are the kinds of stories I love to hear. You know, that's what keeps us young, the laughter and just that joy that they create, you know? And that's, that's what the years of on us have. Yeah, these young people have to create and build in their, in doing their, who they are and their mana because they don't have such great enduring stories like this yet. They're being created, right? So what do you do to keep students interested in Hula? You know, some of them they come, they like learning and maybe it's not for them or how do you keep them interested? Or once it becomes a passion, how long do they normally stay in a, in your or in a Halao? Well, you know, right now, the longest Hamaana has been with me 17 years. My mom, before she passed, she would have been the longest. Wow. She would have been my student for all 20 years. Wow. But she passed away right before the pandemic. Oh, I'm sorry. And so, you know, one thing that I noticed is you have to have goals because, you know, they come, they don't really know about Hula. Then they start learning Hula. Then they become a little better and a little better. Then they want to do something with that. So I've had to actively think of ways to put make goals for them. So one goal, years ago, we wanted to enter a competition, you know? Kiki Hula competition. So we got put on a wait list. Yes. And then a couple of years later, they said, okay, let's bring your Kiki. Well, the Kiki eventually grew, you know, were able to invite it to Kiki Hula competition. So that was one vehicle in which it motivates them to get better, to stay. And even, you know, want to grow up and do Merry Monarch. So in the span of years, so many years, we were fortunate enough that we are, you know, participants in Merry Monarch Festival. Wow. A lot of the original girls that were in my Kiki Hula line, they're now the main dancers in my Merry Monarch line. Wow. And then, like, so that's the goal. There's goals that I make. And then for like the older ones, they'll tell you, cool, I don't wanna, I don't like dancing in public. I just need, I want exercise and socialize, but I don't like perform. You know, sooner or later, when they become comfortable enough, they'll say, okay, we'll go try, we'll go dance. We'll go to the, you know, like, they're gonna have, okay, I was like, okay, we have a small little function at the mall. Anybody wanna dance, there is the hand. And so it's just a way of how you, how a kumu hula can deal and see the certain ages and deal with each case by case basis according to their ages. And I've been able to figure that out truck this 20 years. And so the average lifespan of a student here is anywhere between 12 to 15 years. That's wonderful, that's so wonderful. It's very, very heartwarming. When I see my young girls, they, you know, they go off, they graduate, they come home, they have a baby and then they come back to hula and then they bring their baby back to hula. It's happened twice already, so. That's the best, the generation. Yeah, wow. So, you know, I know that there are many types of hula. So what type of hula are age appropriate and dance appropriate for certain age ranges? Well, we like to, I kind of don't like to pressure, so there's the kahiko. And I may mainly reserve that for the, from the, the, the appeal, the little, the kiki age up to the Mary Monarch level. Then once you makuahine and you get into the gracious ladies and kupuna, I don't expect them to do kahiko. And they just do awana, more, you know, more easy on their knees and easier to, to MacGyver through their dances. But it's, it's, it's, it's kind of like if you're anywhere between seven years old and 25 to 30, you'll still be doing kahiko dances along with the awana. Then after, you know, after 35, I say, ah, you go to gracious ladies, you know, and you go with the older ones. And then I'm not so picky and I'm not so hard on them. Yes. So, yeah. Yeah, they're just there for just the love of dance. Yeah. And just the love of their hula sisters. Yes. And the halau, you know. Yes. And actually it almost sounds like a blue zone environment, you know, where the kupuna, the keiki intergenerational exchange and the, the kupuna gets life and energy from the keiki and the keiki gets wisdom and life from the kupuna. So, so important that community that you have those age, you know, the vast ranges of age. And so I think so important, you know, and then getting back to Mrs. Psyche at 92 years old. That's, how long did you say she was dancing with you again? It's gonna be about 15 years from this October. And she's a local resident from Maui or? Yeah, she's lived Kahului Maui all her life. And when she came, she just came on a whim with, they were walking from, our old halau used to be by 24-hour fitness. And you would have to pass in the hallway our halau, you know, and so they would go to silver sneakers. Oh. And then they came, a bunch of them, then they all started together at the same time. Wow. That's amazing. And she came and she stayed and she'll always be there. I mean, I just saw that picture and I thought, well, how adorable. And the other reasons why I'm fat is because they bring me dinner every week. And that's a good part too, good and bad, right? Make sure that Kumu is fat. Wow. So, Kumu, we've run out of time for today. So I just wanna say mahalo to Kumu Kamaka Kokona for his passion of hula. And everybody remember now that hula is a heartbeat and the secret, the secret to long life. So if you didn't start, sign up now and you can go to the websites and find out where he is if you're on Maui and get together with that group and go yourself at long life and healthy long life, I should say. So we'll be back in two weeks with more of Taking Your Health Back. So mahalo, Kumu Kamaka Kokona, aloha. And LinkedIn and donate to us at thinktecawaii.com. Mahalo.