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Description

I am from the island of Hawaiʻi.  Raised on family ʻāina that was given to my great great grandfather through a Royal Patent Land Grant in 1850.  I am the 5th generation to be raised on family land with all of our kupuna, including my parents, buried on the property. My father was a manaleo, native Hawaiian speaker and chose not to teach me ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi as he reflected on his time of being punished in school for speaking Hawaiian.  Growing up, I intently watched and learned from my parents. My mother, a nurse, loved working with adults with mental illness who needed someone in their lives to see them through their issues - she used the art of inclusion to build their purpose in life. My fatherʻs knew how to deal in a western space at the same time being true to his ancestral knowledge and protective of all things Hawaiian - kind yet a force to reckon with.

These features led me to do what I am doing today in a heavily cultivated western non-Hawaiian space.

I have a kuleana that requires me to mālama with aloha with an end goal of pono.

Iʻve been a musician in Waikīkī for 3 decades, recorded several recordings, garnered several awards for music and a couple for community engagement. I worked at a non-profit organization for near;y 20 years serving adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Iʻve been at the Hyatt Regency for 7 years as their Director of Hawaiian Culture and Community Relations.  Along with some friends we created a small community organization called The Hawaiian Music Perpetuation Society - preserve, promote, perpetuate Mele Hawaiʻi.

Social media handles:

Instagram: @thekuproject

TikTok: @kuproject

Twitter: @thekuproject

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