Indigenous for Our Survival Series: Nānā i ke Kumu with Kumu Pelehonuamea Harman
By Sharde Mersberg Freitas, Chapter Organizer | Reading time: 7 minutes
From an Indigenous perspective, many would say that the Earth should be celebrated every day. This deep connection to the land is woven into the traditions, language, and practices of Native Hawaiians. As we take time to recognize Earth Month, we also acknowledge that Indigenous wisdom teaches us to honor and care for the ʻāina in all that we do.
This understanding is reflected in hula, which is more than dance—it is a sacred practice that tells the stories of the land, the elements, and the ancestors. April, in addition to being Earth Month, is also when hula is celebrated on a global stage through the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival. The festival brings together hālau from Hawaiʻi and beyond, sharing hula, oli, moʻolelo, and mele that embody the values of mālama ʻāina and cultural perpetuation.
Kumu Pelehonuamea Harman. Photo: Daniella Zalcman.
In this spirit of honoring both Earth Month and Indigenous traditions, we are deeply honored to share an interview with Kumu Pelehonuamea Harman. This conversation is also a timely celebration of the newly released $1 coin honoring Mary Kawena Pukui, Kumu Pele’s great-grandmother, whose life’s work continues to shape the preservation and teaching of Hawaiian language and culture.
As a kumu hula, Pele—along with her husband, Kekoa Harman—leads Hālau i ka Leo o Nā Mamo. In our conversation, she reflects on her upbringing and journey in learning ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, the diverse ways knowledge is passed down through generations, and the significance of perpetuating ʻike kupuna (ancestral wisdom). She also offers invaluable momi (pearls of wisdom) for us to consider as we reflect on our own roles in sustaining culture, language, and the land.
A Journey Rooted in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and Hula
As is common in Hawaiian practice when getting to know someone, I began my interview with Pelehonuamea Harman by asking about her upbringing and her journey in learning ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. One of the unique aspects of Pele and her hālau, Hālau i ka Leo o Nā Mamo, is that they teach hula entirely in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.
Pele’s earliest exposure to the language was through her ʻohana’s church, Ke Alaula O Ka Mālamalama, where Sunday sermons were delivered in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. It was there that she developed a love for choral music, which, like hula, is deeply intertwined with ʻike kūpuna (ancestral knowledge). Mele, filled with layered meanings, became another avenue for her to learn not only the language but also the profound relationship between hula and mele.
Hula as a Pathway to Language and Cultural Knowledge
Kumu Pele and her daughter dancing. Photo: Rebecca Latson.
Born into hula, Pele was immersed in the practice from a young age, often tagging along with her older sister, Kaleimakamaeakawena. She started dancing before the age of three under the guidance of her first kumu, Aunty Carol Nishi. Her learning was enriched by experts like Aunty Lolena Nicholas, who helped haumāna with pronunciation, and Aunty Genoa Keawe, who would sing for them.
As Pele continued her education, she pursued a degree in ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. Her master’s thesis focused on Aunty Pat Namaka Bacon, a beloved kupuna of her ʻohana and the daughter of Mary Kawena Pukui. This research became a powerful way for her to honor the connection between her ʻohana and the lineage of Hawaiian knowledge.
Reflecting on the transference of knowledge, Pele shared a key lesson from her research:
“You always go together. In everything you do, it is always good to have that koʻo, that kākoʻo for you because we might forget something, but the other person will remember. That’s how you know it’s a good partnership because they pick up where you left off.”
Lessons from Aunty Pat: Subtle Teachings That Reveal Themselves Over Time
Aunty Pat played a crucial role in Pele’s life, offering wisdom in ways that were often subtle and revealed their full meaning over time. She would share knowledge through riddles, wordplay, and small yet significant observations. For instance, she would ask Pele and her siblings to demonstrate a hela or an ʻami and then offer gentle corrections based on traditional protocols.
As a longtime judge for Keiki Hula, Merrie Monarch, and the King Kamehameha competition, Aunty Pat emphasized the importance of upholding cultural integrity in hula:
“You never show the bottom of your feet… We were always told never to show the bottom of our feet because that is the dirty part.”
These lessons were not merely about technique but also about maintaining the cultural values embedded in hula and Hawaiian traditions.
Mele as a Bridge Between Knowledge and Personal Experience
The wisdom passed down through mele often deepens with lived experience. Pele shared a story about her daughter, Kalāmanamana, who, after moving away for college, found a new understanding of the song He Aloha Moku o Keawe.
“Not until Kalāmanamana went away to college did she realize—‘Mom, that is one of my favorite songs because I understand what Emma Kaihumua was feeling when she was missing Hawaiʻi. But I have a hard time dancing it because I can remember how much I missed home when I was at Dartmouth.’”
This moment highlights the transformative power of mele—not just as performance pieces but as vessels of deep emotion and understanding.
ʻIke Kūpuna and Best Practices for Caring for Hawaiʻi
Hawaiian knowledge is often encoded within mele and moʻolelo, offering practical guidance for how to live in harmony with the land. Pele recalled a lesson from Aunty Pat when she prepared to move to Hilo for college:
“She told me, ‘Don’t ever swim in Wailuku River.’ And I was like, ‘Okay.’ She said, ‘It’s a lua kanaka—a man pit. There are tunnels under the water where men get trapped and die. And it’s the realm of the moʻo.’”
This warning, rooted in an old chant, is reinforced today by modern safety advisories. It serves as a reminder that our kūpuna embedded best practices within our oral traditions—lessons that remain relevant and life-saving today.
“If it was important enough to put in our mele and moʻolelo, it is a way that our kūpuna continue to take care of us. And it is our kuleana to heed their advice.”
Honoring Mary Kawena Pukui and the Legacy of Knowledge
With Mary Kawena Pukui now featured on the $1 coin and Edith Kanakaʻole honored on the quarter, there is growing recognition of the remarkable contributions of Hawaiian women to knowledge and culture. While Pukui and Kanakaʻole are not genealogically linked, they shared a mutual respect and collaboration that exemplifies the Hawaiian way of learning—one rooted in appreciation for different schools of thought.
“There was a mutual respect that the kūpuna had for each other that I hope we continue to perpetuate. In any other culture, the work that our people did is Nobel Prize-worthy, and yet for some reason, in scholarly circles, people seem to separate the Hawaiian stuff from the academic stuff.”
This false dichotomy is something Pele and her husband, Kekoa Harman, actively work to dismantle, bridging traditional art forms with academic spaces.
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi in All Spaces: A Call to Action
As we discussed the broader significance of the $1 coin, Pele shared why she advocated for leaving the phrase Nānā i ke Kumu untranslated:
“Originally, they were going to put the translation, ‘Nānā i ke kumu—Look to the source.’ And I said, no, take the translation out… I want people to ask questions. To see it and be like, ‘What language is this? Who is this lady?’ For us to control the narrative.”
This moment captures the power of language—not just as a means of communication but as a tool for reclaiming identity, sparking curiosity, and reinforcing the importance of looking to our sources of knowledge.
Closing Reflections: The Interconnectedness of Hula, Mele, and ʻĀina
Throughout our conversation, Kumu Pele’s words acknowledged the interconnectedness of hula, mele, ʻāina, and kanaka. These traditions are not just preserved for the sake of cultural pride but because they offer essential guidance for how we care for each other and the land.
“And another thing that is super important to remember about hula is that there is no hula without a mele. Aunty Pat always told me that poetry was the most important thing... the hula was simply supplemental.”
In closing, I am deeply grateful for the time spent with Kumu Pele, learning from her journey and the wisdom she so generously shared. As we celebrate Earth Month and honor Indigenous knowledge, let us remember that these teachings are not only historical—they are living practices that continue to shape our kuleana to each other and to this ʻāina.
Nānā i ke kumu” is a commonly known ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, largely due to the work of Mary Kawena Pukui. Pukui’s scholarly work, publications, and life’s work have been foundational to the Hawaiian renaissance movement, and provide important references for learning ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi and Hawaiian lifeways. Today, we often see ʻŌlelo Noʻeau used as a way to integrate ʻike kūpuna for a variety of purposes, including various reports governing constitutionally protected traditional and customary practices. It is this process precisely, of looking to ʻike kūpuna, that can inform how we best care for Hawaiʻi and for our survival. This ʻŌlelo Noʻeau was chosen for this article as it describes Kumu Pele’s genealogical connection to her great grandmother, Mary Kawena Pukui, her kumu that she shares about through this interview, and also in celebration of this same ʻŌlelo Noʻeau that was chosen for the $1 coin honoring Pukui.