Good news! I'm returning to the Big Island of Hawaii for the 25th anniversary of Halau Hula Ka No'eau, my Kumu Hula's halau (master hula teacher's hula school). The school was only two years old when I joined in 1988. I had just come home after living a year in California and eleven years in Oregon. In the midst of a career change, the beautiful, cool, verdant uplands of Kamuela, Hawaii was the perfect place to put down roots and be closer to my father who had survived a major heart attack. It was a wise decision. My husband and I found a home on Mana Road surrounded by acres of pasturelands and a full view of the great mountain Mauna Kea. It was so quiet there - the silence pervaded everywhere and I drank it in. About a month after I moved back, I found my kumu, Michael Pili Pang. He was a young man in his early 20's. I met with him to talk about his class before I joined and asked who his teacher was. He replied Maiki Aiu Lake and Mae Kamamalu Klein - both of whom I had never heard of - but I liked Michael. And his classes were ten minutes away. My initial goal was to learn how to chant, but I soon became entranced by the dance - the hula. I remember attending my first kahiko (ancient hula) class and watching the women dance Ke Ha'a La Puna while Michael chanted. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the ancient hula - the melodious chanting, the women all dancing intently and in unison as they glided over the concrete floor like goddesses on a moss covered forest floor. Michael's love and knowledge of hula is remarkable. He is a part of a great hula lineage that - thanks to him - now dances through my veins. When he invited me to come to the 25th, I had to say "Yes!" even though I was a little concerned about finances. The anniversary will be celebrated at Kahilu Theatre in Waimea - where we have performed many times. All of Michael's haumana (students), some now kumus, and their haumana will dance. I can't wait to see his new choreography. It will be a great honor to be there chanting and dancing with my hula 'ohana(family). The pull of the kupuna (ancestors/elders) is strong. My mother is in a nursing home in Honokaa where I can be with her. She used to dance in the kupuna (elder) group with Michael, and I remember her diligently practicing and loving it. Once Michael had a number of the mother/daughter couples dance a hula together. I still remember dancing with her on stage - she did so well. What a beautiful moment it was. She was one of our biggest fans. She loved our performances and always said, with a big smile, at the end of a performance, "It's not long enough - I wanted it to go on and on!" In hula we say that the talent is on loan to us. Thus we should respect and use it in the best way we can while we have it - like our lives. We practice and prepare, so we can dance with grace and strength, flexibility and confidence. This helps us to be ready for the unexpected - which, somehow, always arises. When we forget or make an error, we forgive ourselves and ask forgiveness from anyone we may have hurt and then just keep going - appreciating each moment good or bad - "smiling bigger" as my kumu used to say. 'Ohana (family) relationships can sometimes be rocky. We can nurse grudges for far too long and miss important life lessons. Returning home is about renewing relationships - practicing how to agree to disagree and still respect one another. We also practice speaking our truth in a way that can be heard and understood. These experiences are potent opportunities that help us build patience and discernment - both so important in our lives. Be courageous and kind on your journey to the homeland. The results will be surprising. Malama pono (take care of body, mind and heart), June Kaililani Tanoue Kumu Hula | 
