What is a Kumu Hula?

There are a lot of people who are using the title "kumu hula".  What is a Kumu Hula and how do you become one?

I never assumed the title of kumu hula.  My kumu, Maiki Aiu Lake, gave me the title and through that gesture of love for all of her students, she assumes all kuleana, the responsibilities, for the work that I do. I like to think that I earned the title of kumu hula, through years of study and dedication to the practice of my art.  I still consider myself a student of the art and know that I will never know everything that hula has to teach and offer us.  I strive to be responsible for what I teach and perform, constantly guided by the fact that my teachings must be pleasing to the teachers that have gone before me, my kupuna and those that are yet to come.

I can only speak on behalf of my training and hula practice as handed down from my kumu hula Maiki Aiu Lake.  Aunty Maiki 'uniki (graduated through the rituals of hula) from Lokalia Montgomery.  In the early 1970's Maiki, after decades of teaching hula, selected some of her students to begin a new level of training in the art of hula with the intention of graduating master teachers of Hawaiian dance.  In addition to long time hula students, she invited a handful of other very talented and gifted individuals to 'uniki.  Papa Lehua 'ūniki in 1972.  Among these graduates are Robert Uluwehi Cazimero, Leina'ala Kalama Heine, John Kaha'i Topolinksi, Kalena Silva and her own two daughters Karen Aiu and Coline Aiu.  Many of the kumu have started their own hālau and continue to practice the traditions handed down to them by Maiki.  Others have continued to study other fields of Hawaiian culture and have become experts in those fields.

In 1972, Maiki began a second class.  My sister Charlene and I had been students of Aunty Maiki since we were 10 and 12 years old.  We both 'uniki with the Papa 'Ilima class in 1975 as kumu hula along with Mapuana deSilva, Kepa Maly, Wayne Chang and others.

From Aunty Maiki we learned to make all of our own instruments, printed our own kihei and pā'ū, learned drumming patterns and which ones belong to the hula pahu and which drum beats belong to the ipu,  the correct way to place your ipu and sit while drumming, what chant styles were appropriate for hula and oli etc.  We 'uniki with 'ailolo, the formal eating of the pua'a hiwa, a pure black pig roasted to perfection and partook of all the parts of the pua'a symbolically infusing those qualities into our whole being.  We were expected to be experts in our field of dance and chant and we worked hard to ensure that our kumu was pleased with our work.

I like to think that I earned the title of kumu hula from Aunty Maiki.  But the truth is, I am still earning it..the learning is never complete.
 a'ole pau....ua 'ike a......