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Pualani Kanakaʻole Kanahele

Monday, August 3rd - Opening Reception

Watch keynote presentation

Pua is of pure Hawaiian descent and is responsible to her ancestral lineage. She was raised in a Hula tradition that spans many generations.  She was educated in Western institutions and earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree.  At the age of 69 in the winter of 2006 Pua received a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. She understands this formal Western education system and is responsible to its philosophy, concepts, and the points of view noted in the process of direct learning.

Pua is the President of Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation, a small family foundation that focuses on promoting and elevating cultural knowledge and intelligence.  She is a Kumu Hula for Hālau o Kekuhi, also a family Hawaiian traditional dance school.  Pua has retired from the classrooms of Hawaiʻi Community College and is now Director of Hawaiian Traditional Knowledge Research with Hawaiʻi Community College.

A Hawaiian culture expert, Pua is a consultant in many areas of Hawaiian lifeways.

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