OCTOBER 26, 2009

NATIVE HAWAIIAN HULA & CHANT MASTER & ADVOCATE GEORGE NA’OPE DIED

Born in Kalihi, Hawaiʻi, in 1928 and raised in Hilo, George’s grandfather composed “Hawai‘i No E Ka Oi.” At age 10, he moved to Oahu to study hula and learn the kapu (sacred) dances. Known later as “Uncle George,” he began teaching hula age 13 in 1942, in a makeshift studio. After high school, he moved to Honolulu and opened his school there. He also taught in underserved communities, in prisons, and around the world. His legacies include: The “Merrie Monarch” Festival (Co-founder, 1964-premiere hula event); Humu Moʻolelo Journal of the Hula Arts; Iolani Luahine Hula Festival and Scholarship Competition; Halau Hula (a Hawai‘i Trust); and Hula Is Hawai‘i, LLC. He was named a “Living Golden Treasure” by the state in 1960 and recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts as a National Heritage Fellow in 2006. As a revered kumu hula— “source of the dance,” he belonged to a lineage of revered culture bearers. George died on October 26, 2009, in Hilo.

Sources: 
“George Na’ope (1928-2009),” Notable Folklorists of Color.  Retrieved 12/21/2023, https://notablefolkloristsofcolor.org/portfolio/george-naope
Wikipedia
Photo:  Jens Bludau, 4/1995. Permissive Use