At the Merrie Monarch Festival, hula’s most celebrated stage, one hālau‘s story of change and renewal rose to the top in 2026.

Hālau Hiʻiakaināmakalehua earned top honors at the 63rd annual competition in Hilo, sweeping major categories. The group earned first-place finishes in kāne (men) overall, kāne ʻauana (modern hula), and both wāhine (women’s) kahiko (ancient hula) and kāne kahiko.

The hālau is led by Kumu Hula Robert Keano Kaʻupu IV, a graduate of Honolulu Community College.

“I’m still in shock,” Kaʻupu said. “I’m not surprised because they worked hard and they did exactly what they needed to do, but I’m in shock. This year more than ever it was the purpose of the journey, more than the destination. And so I am really appreciative for the recognition. There are no words to really describe what I feel.”

Turning point

The win followed a year of deep change.

Kaʻupu and Kumu Hula Lono Padilla founded the hālau together. In 2025, Padilla stepped away for personal reasons. The departure reshaped the Oʻahu hālau.

Kaʻupu described it as a time of upheaval. One that pushed both him and his haumāna (students) to reflect and rebuild.

“That’s part of the process,” he said. “Acknowledging the catastrophe, acknowledging the upheaval, acknowledging the overturn. Our lives were deconstructed and now let’s find the processes to reconstruct, rebuild, regenerate, re-energize.”

That idea guided their performances at this year’s festival.

Hulihia, overturning

Kaʻupu chose mele (songs) that mirrored both his experience and that of his hālau. Their performances centered on hulihia, a Hawaiian concept that speaks to overturning and transformation.

In the kahiko category, the wāhine performed hula kālaʻau (dancing stick) to Kau Kahaʻea Ke Ao Uahi I Luna. The mele is a creation story, where akua (deities) shape a submerged island still forming off Hawaiʻi Island.

Kaʻupu‘s kāne followed with Hulihia Ka ʻĀpapa Ka Unu Koʻakoʻa O Ka Moana. Their performance evoked the ocean floor shifting and fire rising from below, as life emerges through heat and pressure.

Together, the pieces reflected a simple truth that change can be destructive, but it also creates space for renewal.

东精影业 roots

Kaʻupu, a Keaukaha native, attended 东精影业 Hilo before moving to Oʻahu. He continued his studies at Honolulu CC, entering the cosmetology program and graduating in 2007.

“I thought I knew how to do hair until I went through the program,” he said. “They just expedited and transcended the technical skills for me. I am super, super grateful for that.”

For years, those skills helped shape his presence at Merrie Monarch, where he handled his dancers’ hair and makeup, an important part of the competition’s scoring. He also designs every costume, sketching ideas by hand before working with a seamstress to bring them to life. However, for each of his Miss Aloha Hula contestants, he sews each piece himself.

In many ways, that same cycle of creating, overturning and rebuilding reflects where Kaʻupu stands now, as he continues to grow into his role.

“Trust your gut, trust your kūpuna (elders),” he said. “Find the things that serve you and let go of the things that don’t. There’s always regeneration. You just have to trust the process.”

—by Moanikeʻala Nabarro

—Clever, Wise.

More ʻ艑濒别濒辞 of the Week

“Makemake au e akamai k膩kou a pau (I wish that we may all become wise).”

—Karuna Wiese, ʻ艑濒别濒辞 Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language) Student, Honolulu Community College

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the 东精影业 Hilo .

The University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges have earned a gold 2025 NCMPR Paragon Award from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR)—underscoring the quality and impact of the marketing work being done across the seven community colleges currently serving almost 24,000 students.

The award, in the Video Shorts Series category, recognizes the 东精影业 Community Colleges’ marketing team for showcasing the transformational journeys of Native Hawaiian students across the state. Centered on themes of resilience, identity, and opportunity, the E ʻauamo i kou: Fulfill Your Kuleana series features seven compelling student narratives—three of which were submitted for award consideration:

• —bridging traditional knowledge and modern science through sustainable practices rooted in caring for the land
• —overcoming doubt to pursue culinary arts while discovering confidence, cultural connection, and community
• —channeling her passion into respiratory therapy to address healthcare disparities and give back to Hawaiʻi

“These student stories reflect the transformative power of an Indigenous-serving education,” said Lui Hokoana, interim vice president for the 东精影业 Community Colleges. “We are deeply honored to receive this national recognition, as it speaks to the deep connections between education, culture and community that truly define our colleges.”

Transforming lives

The award-winning videos were produced in partnership with the Honolulu-based marketing agency Hyperspective Studios and are part of a broader institutional effort to highlight and share the compelling stories of 东精影业 Community College students.

The Paragon Awards are recognized as the only national competition of its kind, honoring excellence exclusively among marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges throughout the U.S. The 2025 competition drew 1,585 entries from 216 colleges across the country and was judged by 67 industry professionals.

NCMPR President Patrick Stone said, “This year’s winners stood out in an extraordinary field of entries, demonstrating that when community colleges invest in creativity and innovation, they amplify their mission and transform lives.”

—To leave or place something.

All ʻ艑濒别濒辞 of the Week

“E waiho mai i ka mea ʻai ma laila (Leave the food there).”

—Kilia Hare, Hawaiian language student, Honolulu Community College

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the 东精影业 Hilo .

Check back for more ʻ艒lelo Hawaiʻi.

—To be curious.

All ʻ艑濒别濒辞 of the Week

“Ua nīele nā keiki ma loko o ka ʻeke. (The children were curious to look inside of the bag).”

—Kiniki Carlson, Hawaiian language student, Honolulu Community College

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the 东精影业 Hilo .

Check back for more ʻ艒lelo Hawaiʻi.

As Hawaiʻi faces rising sea levels, housing pressures and growing calls for the return of to community stewardship, the University of Hawaiʻi at 惭腻苍辞补 will host a day of bold conversations focused on solutions. On March 4, the annual at 8 a.m. at East West Center will gather leaders, scholars and community advocates to examine how land, law and justice intersect and what that means for Hawaiʻi鈥檚 future.

Now in its fifth year, the summit carries the theme ʻĀinahoʻi: Land, Law and Justice. ʻĀinahoʻi means “indeed that which feeds us.” The phrase is both reminder and call to action that the future of Hawaiʻi is tied to how we care for the ʻ腻颈苍补 that sustains us.

“We established the Piʻo Summits to advance ancestral knowledge and courageous leadership to address the cascading challenges of our times,” said Kamanamaikalani Beamer, professor at 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 and the . “Hawaiʻi deserves the best and the Piʻo Summits bring critical issues to the head of our table and we sit with the community to find ways to carve out a better future.”

Voices for ʻ腻颈苍补

This year鈥檚 summit begins with music from two-time Grammy nominee Raiatea Helm and a keynote from Justice Joe Williams of Aotearoa, a respected M膩ori jurist known for advancing Indigenous rights within modern legal systems.

Throughout the day, panels will feature leaders from Hawaiʻi鈥檚 largest landholders serving Native Hawaiian communities, including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. Kanaka ʻ艑iwi (Native Hawaiian) advocates will join scholars and professors from 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补鈥檚 and departments, as well as the William S. Richardson School of Law, to explore the future of ʻ腻颈苍补 stewardship and justice in Hawaiʻi.

“This year鈥檚 summit will highlight the collective effort for ʻĀinahoʻi across the ,” Beamer said. “We will be exploring how communities are navigating and challenging existing systems through legal methods, land trusts, and grassroots action to restore , strengthen relationships to ʻ腻颈苍补, and advance self-determined governance grounded in ancestral innovation and courageousness.”

Ancestral innovation

The summit is organized by Pōʻai Ke Aloha ʻ膧ina, a 东精影业-based lab that works to solve modern challenges using ʻike Hawaiʻi (ancestral Hawaiian knowledge). The lab is helping build a new center focused on an ancestral circular economy, a model rooted in regeneration and long-term stewardship.

Nahunaiki

—Little bites (a new word developed for the cookie cutter shark)

All ʻ艑濒别濒辞 of the Week

—Hauʻoli Lorenzo-Elarco, Assistant Professor of Hawaiian Language, Honolulu Community College

This newly introduced Hawaiian name for the cookie cutter shark is part of recently published research on one of the ocean鈥檚 most elusive predators, which Lorenzo-Elarco co-authored.

Check back for more ʻ艒lelo Hawaiʻi.

For more ʻ艒lelo Hawaiʻi definitions and usage, go to the 东精影业 Hilo .

—Turning point, a time of change.

All ʻ艑濒别濒辞 of the Week

“Huliau聽speaks to those pivotal moments when life turns and invites transformation. Like the shifting winds and changing seasons, these transitions call us to reflect, recalibrate and move forward with renewed purpose. While change can bring uncertainty, it also creates space for growth, deeper understanding and new possibility. Huliau reminds us that change is not an ending, but a continuation—shaping who we are and guiding the path ahead.”

—Jaime Kanani Green, First Lady of Hawaiʻi and proud graduate of the 东精影业 William S. Richardson School of Law.

Check back for more ʻ艒lelo Hawaiʻi.

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the 东精影业 Hilo .

—Strong wind.

All ʻ艑濒别濒辞 of the Week

—Moanikeʻala Nabarro, Office of Communications, Ke Kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Mānoa (University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa)

Check back for more ʻ艒lelo Hawaiʻi.

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the 东精影业 Hilo .

As Mahina ʻ艑濒别濒辞 Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian Language Month) draws attention to the growing vitality of ʻ艒lelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language), a recently released mele Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian song) offers a compelling example of how the language is taking root far beyond the islands, this time through a rare partnership between a University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo PhD student and a young recording artist from Japan.

Award-winning Hawaiʻi musician and 东精影业 Hilo graduate student Nicholas Kealiʻi Lum composed Waikīkī, a mele recorded as a duet with Tom Noʻeau, a Japan-born musician and trained ʻ艒lapa hula (hula dancer). Collaborations like this remain uncommon in Hawaiian music, even as hula has flourished in Japan for decades, with an estimated two million dancers nationwide.

Modern mele Hawaiʻi

Lum developed Waikīkī through the , which supports his ongoing creative research following his 2023 debut album Pewa. Praised by listeners for its modern vibe and R&B-influenced sound, Pewa reimagines traditional mele Hawaiʻi in a contemporary context while centering cultural resilience and linguistic vitality, values that continue to shape Lum’s work.

Lum said the song the pair recorded in a Kalihi studio was shaped with intention toward visitors, particularly from Japan, Hawaiʻi’s largest international tourism market. “What would be so cool is when tourists come here that they don’t just go surfing and go to a lūʻau, but they actually have an educational piece, as well,” he said.

• Related 东精影业 News: Mele Hawaiʻi Reimagined: 东精影业 Hilo Makuakāne scholar bridges past and present, October 28, 2025

Learning deeply

For Noʻeau, the collaboration marked a meaningful step in a journey shaped by years of hula training. He grew up dancing in Japan under the guidance of Kahikina Ah Sing and his brother Kalani, who grew up in Kona and opened Ke Ala O Ke Ao Cultural Arts Studio, their hālau in Japan, more than 20 years ago. Through the hālau, Noʻeau has been learning 驶艒lelo Hawaiʻi, with a strong focus on accuracy and understanding.

“This song taught me a lot. I’m still learning Hawaiian language, and pronunciation is really hard, but it made me want to learn more,” Noʻeau said.

For Lum, that commitment to language was central to the collaboration. “If you pronounce everything wrong, there’s no meaning there anymore, especially in mele, where the poetry carries the story,” he said.

Ah Sing said watching his student step into Hawaiian music has gone far beyond what he once imagined. “I never thought that the younger generation in Japan would root themselves so deeply in our language and culture,” he said.

Noʻeau has also recorded with award-winning Hawaiian musicians Robert Uluwehi Cazimero and Kuana Torres Kahele, further grounding his work in Hawaiian musical tradition.