[78-L] RIP George Na'ope

[David Lewis]

George Lanakilakekiahiali'i Na'ope, who died on October 26 
aged 81, was an acknowledged authority on hula and a master 
Hawaiian chanter; he taught Hawaiian culture and hula for 
more than 60 years. 
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/dance-o... 

Na'ope fostered his mission to introduce hula to people 
around the world through the annual Merrie Monarch festival 
he co-founded with Doris "Dottie" Thompson. This developed 
into the world's most important hula competition, and he 
also travelled to several continents to teach hula, giving 
classes in Britain and Japan. 

Although best known in Britain in the context of the 
embarrassing 1950s craze for hula hoops, in Hawaii the hula 
dance is a sacred ritual. According to some, it was danced 
only by men, but both legend and historical sources suggest 
that both sexes took part. Quite different from other 
Polynesian dances, it began as a form of worship during 
religious ceremonies, only gradually evolving into a form of 
entertainment. 

Every movement in hula has a specific meaning, and every 
expression of the dancer's hands has significance. The 
movements might represent certain plants or animals, or even 
war. In imitating a shark or waving palm tree, the true hula 
dancer believes he or she becomes the shark or palm. 

The dance is accompanied by chants which help to explain the 
dancer's story, and traditionally it was the words, rather 
than the hand gestures, that counted. Today, however, so few 
people understand the language of the chants that greater 
emphasis is placed on movements and gestures. 

Na'ope was also a celebrated kumu hula, someone considered 
qualified by another kumu (instructor) to teach the 
techniques and traditions of the dance. A kumu hula commands 
enormous respect. Those who studied under Na'ope emphasised 
his significant contribution to Hawaiian culture, referring 
to him as the last living hula lo'ea, or hula master. 

George Lanakilakekiahiali'i Na'ope was born in Kalihi, a 
working-class neighbourhood of Honolulu, on February 25 
1928, and began studying hula at the age of three. His 
family moved to the historic town of Hilo when he was a 
teenager and he began to teach hula at the age of 13, 
earning 50 cents a lesson to pay for his schooling. 

After graduating from high school he moved back to Honolulu, 
where he opened the George Na'ope Hula School. As a young 
man he also travelled the world as the featured chanter for 
the Royal Hawaiian Revue and the Ray Kinney Band. 

By the 1950s Na'ope had established a hula studio on the 
second floor of the KHBC radio station building in Honolulu, 
and in 1962 he co-founded the Merrie Monarch festival, a 
week-long festival of traditional Hawaiian arts, crafts, and 
performances featuring a three-day hula competition. The 
festival is named after David Kalakaua, king of Hawaii from 
1874 to 1891, who was known as "The Merrie Monarch". 

The festival rapidly grew in popularity, becoming one of the 
biggest events in Hawaii and being credited with playing a 
major role in a Hawaiian cultural renaissance. A dapper man 
who sported colourful clothes and huge rings, Na'ope was a 
fixture at the festival and its many auxiliary events. He 
was often to be seen sitting in a huge peacock-style chair 
having his picture taken with visitors from Japan. 

In his dotage, he drew cheering crowds to their feet when he 
took the Merrie Monarch stage to perform a hula during the 
festival's finale. 

According to one of his students, Na'ope "believed in the 
word aloha [a greeting meaning love, peace, compassion or 
mercy]" and helped spread that message throughout the world 
through hula. On news of his death, the Office of Hawaiian 
Affairs quickly posted a fond Aloha 'oe ("farewell to thee") 
on its website. 

In 1960 the state of Hawaii acclaimed Na'ope a "Living 
Golden Treasure". He was also designated a "Treasure of 
Hawaii" by President George W Bush and the Smithsonian 
Institution. 

George Na'ope is survived by a brother and three sisters. 



Uncle Dave Lewis uncledavelewis at hotmail.com

 		 	   		  
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