Hālau Kekuaokalāʻauʻalaʻiliahi triumphs in first Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula since 2019

Hālau Kekuaokalāʻauʻalaʻiliahi, of Wailuku, Maui, won the Overall Kaikamahine (girls) division in the first Queen Liliʻuokalani Keiki Hula competition held since the onset of Covid-19.

The girls, all age 12 and under and led by nā Kumu ʻIliahi and Haunani Paredes, placed 1st in the ʻauana division and 2nd in kahiko, winning the overall award in a field of 26 hālau from across the State and Japan (19 competing in the Kaikamahine category).

The hālau boys placed 2nd in kahiko and 3rd in ʻauana, and Kauila Shimabukuro was named Master Keiki Hula. ʻOlena Catiel placed 4th in the Miss Keiki Hula soloist competition. Both girls and boys won perfect scores in the Hawaiian Language category.

Across the State, hāumana persevered with their study of hula, dancing over zoom and in outdoor spaces, with hopes and dreams that the beloved Keiki Hula competition would be resurrected so they could present their perpetuation of Hawaiian culture, ʻolelo Hawaiʻi, and
their kumuʻs hula lineage.