Halau Makana Aloha O Ka Laua'e

07/28/2025

This weekend marks a once-in-a-generation moment: the inaugural Hōʻike of Hālau Makana Aloha O Ka Lauaʻe—Keolamakaainanakalahuiokalaninokamehamehaekolu (The Life of the People). Founded by Kumu Hula Naomi “Sissy” Lake-Farm, the hālau takes the stage for the first time in a powerful tribute to Sissy’s father, the late cultural visionary John Keola Lake. Through hula, mele, and moʻolelo, the evening honors a legacy of language, lineage, and aloha; rooted deeply in Wailuku, where Sissy’s name and path were spiritually revealed.

This is more than a performance. It’s a cultural homecoming. A continuation of stories passed from father to daughter, teacher to haumāna, kūpuna to lāhui. With special guests Walter and Luana Kawaiʻaeʻa and Nā Hoa, the night promises to uplift and inspire all who carry the mana of this place.

Seats are limited to just 400 at ʻĪao Theater. Don’t miss your chance to witness this deeply personal, profoundly Hawaiian milestone.

Reserve your seat now: https://mauionstage.thundertix.com/events/249505 (link in bio)

07/25/2025

This inaugural Hō‘ike is a heartfelt tribute to Sissy’s father, the late Kumu Hula and Hawaiian cultural visionary John “Keola” Lake. Kumu Lake’s impact was profound — he taught thousands of haumāna ʻōlelo, hula, oli, mele, and more, shaping a generation of Native Hawaiians and ensuring the ways of our kūpuna live on.

“To listen to John Keola Lake is to hear many voices. Some are familiar, some from a past at once far away and close. When he chants, his voice rumbles from the depths of his operatic body. When he speaks Hawaiian, his voice crackles over ʻokina and slides along kahakō. When he speaks English, his words seem to come from the very back of his gigantic, fluttering throat. Unless, of course, he is making merry — which he does often and with abandon. Then his voice giggles and rises into a high, sweet, childlike pitch.” — Honolulu Magazine, 2004.

At Saint Louis School, he revived Hawaiian language classes as a medium of instruction and built a comprehensive Hawaiian Studies program covering history, music, dance, and singing. A respected kumu hula and master chanter, he taught oli independently of hula, stressed haku mele (song composition), and upheld the practice of ceremony and chant.

A pillar of the Hawaiian Renaissance, Kumu Lake helped reclaim and celebrate Hawaiian identity and authored works like Historical Survey of Hawaiian Music & Dance and ʻŌlelo Hou – Say It Again, preserving culture for future generations. Deeply rooted in Hawaiian spirituality, he bridged people and traditions, always honoring the past and enriching the future.

JOIN US: August 2, 2025 in Wailuku @ 5 pm | Tickets & more: https://2025hoike.carrd.co

07/25/2025

Before she was John Keola Lake’s first Kumu Hula, Alice Kaehukai Shaw Kaʻae was already living a life shaped by aliʻi, aloha ʻāina and ʻike kupuna. Born on Molokaʻi in 1867, she was hānai by King Kamehameha V and lived at ʻIolani Palace until his passing. She later served as lady-in-waiting to Queen Liliʻuokalani, remained a staunch royalist, and carried deep kuleana to Lahaina’s sacred places, including Mokuhinia and Mokuʻula. As kahu to these wahi kapu, she protected the moʻo goddess Kihawahine’s legacy, renamed Waineʻe Church to Waiola, and passed on rare ʻike of hula and Maui to those who would carry it forward.

Among them: her haumana, John Keola Lake.

Join us in honoring the lineage that shaped him, and now shapes his daughter, Sissy Lake-Farm.

✨ Hōʻike 2025 ✨
Keolamakaainanakalahuiokalaninokamehamehaekolu (The Life of the People)
Presented by Hālau Makana Aloha O Ka Lauaʻe
August 2, 2025, Maui Arts & Cultural Center

🎟 Tickets available now: https://2025hoike.carrd.co

07/23/2025

https://mauinow.com/2025/07/14/halau-makana-aloha-o-ka-laua%CA%BBe-announces-its-inaugural-ho%CA%BBike-aug-2/

Hālau Makana Aloha O Ka Lauaʻe announces its inaugural Hōʻike, Keolamakaainanakalahuiokalaninokamehamehaekolu (The Life of the People) Hōʻike 2025, set for Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, at the historic ʻĪao Theater in Wailuku. This milestone event marks the first official presentation by the hāla...

07/23/2025

JOIN US: August 2, 2025 in Wailuku @ 5 pm | Tickets & more: https://2025hoike.carrd.co