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A wonderful way to feel the energy of Hawaii, gently tone your body, strengthen your core, and enjoy dancing to beautiful Hawaiian music. No experience necessary. Men, Women age 16 years and older welcome!
Tuesdays
11 am - 12 noon
Saturdays
8:30 - 9:30 am
Kahiko or classical hula is dance to Hawaiian chanting. It's a deeper dive into the stories of the dance, the translations and application to life. Prerequisite -
2 months Beginning Hula Classes or permission of Kumu.
Age 16 years and older
Men and Women welcome
Wednesdays
8 - 9 pm
Dance to the melodic melodies of Hawaii.
Men, Women aged 16 years and older
2 months experience or
Wednesdays
7 - 8 pm
All classes are held at our
sister organization:
38 Lake Street
Oak Park, IL.
For more information call 708-297-6321
or email
Check our
for the current schedule of classes
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Keiki (Children's) Hula Class begins February 8th
3:15 - 4:15 pm
4 Weeks Only
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Kumu June Kaililani Tanoue is happy to announce a 4-Week
Beginning Children's Hula Classto learn basics of hands and feet movements, stories and culture Ages 5 - 11 February 8, 15, 22, 29 3:15 - 4:15 pm Zen Life & Meditation Center 38 Lake Street Oak Park, IL 60302 Cost: $15/class or $50 for 4 classes Contact Kumu June if interestedSIGN UP HERE
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SONS OF HALAWA
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We're SO excited about this CD Mele o Halawa from the NEW documentary entitled Sons of Halawa that has just been released! The CD features the music of Pilipo Solatario and Jason Poole.
Click here to watch the trailer of
Sons of Halawa
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Poliahu Shawls
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We have a wonderful array of Poliahu shawls and scarves hand-screened in Waimea in different colors. Also on hand are gray and black beanies. Poliahu is the snow goddess of Mauna Kea.
The mountain is Poliahu.
Poliahu is the mountain.
We are Mauna Kea,
Mauna Kea is us.
Email Kumu June and come to the Zen Life & Meditation Center at 38 Lake Street in Oak Park to purchase one.
For information about what's happening check out:
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| MAHALO NUI LOA!!! |
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Yellow Lehua by Keoki Apokolani Carter
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What a fabulous January we had! Many people helped and we thank you for your generosity!!!
Mahalo nui (Thank you very much) to:
Jaune Evans, The Tamalpais Trust, Shelley Yasuhara, Ricia Shema, Kumu Hula Ab Valencia, Danil, Jennifer Castner, Helen and Doris Hammer, Yvonne Yarber-Carter, Keoki Carter, Kumu Hula Keikilani Curnan and my hula sisters, Whitney Laughlin, Carl Tanoue, Paul Tanoue, Robert Tanoue and Family, Mokuola Honua, Namaka Rawlins, Larry Kimura, Chas Jewett Red Morning Star Woman, Julie Kase, Donna Mindrum, Nicole Sumida, Tasha Fouts, Lori Murphy, Sarah Evans, JoEllyn Romero, Moira Bryan, Susana Banuelos and Aztec Dance Chicago, Weylin Webster, Tom Neiman, Robert Joshin Althouse, Mary Susan Chen, Liz & Kate's in Geneva, Hoda Boyer, Janet Clark, Michael Cicchetti.
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| | Dr. Larry Kimura and June |
Last month I was very fortunate to attend a truly special gathering of people at the new Mokuola Honua - Global Center for Indigenous Language Excellence in Hilo, Hawaii. Indigenous people from North America were also there as well as representatives from Greenland, Norway, Scotland, Nicaragua, Kenya, Russia, Thailand, Indonesia, Argentina and Philippines. We were there for an Indigenous Language Symposium.
Our first meeting was a dinner at the Hilo Yacht Club. The club rests atop black lava rocks that are caressed with waves and sea spray from the blue Pacific Ocean. The waves can be strong sometimes, but that evening they were gentle.
It was wonderful to see a couple of old friends at the gathering. First was Larry Kimura whom I had met briefly over 20 years ago. In the early '90's he had written a song entitled Kahea a Ke Aloha (Call of Aloha) that we had learned to dance to when I studied hula in Waimea with my kumu (hula master) Michael Pili Pang at his Halau Hula Ka No'eau. Larry wrote that song when he was drafted into the Army and was feeling a little homesick. Thinking about the simple yet warm way that kupuna (elders) used to call out to a stranger and invite them to come in to sit, eat and talk inspired Larry.
The second friend was Kalena Silva. When I worked at the Hawaii Island Food Bank, I invited him to do a blessing for a major event we held on Moku Ola (Coconut Island) in the mid-90's. I remember that time was particularly stormy with a lot of wind and rain leading up to the event. Up until the last moment, we were wondering if we should cancel our plans because of the weather. And then Kalena took the stage and began chanting a beautiful Hawaiian oli (chant). And as he chanted the heavens relented, the clouds cleared and a sliver of sun broke through. Afterwards, Eddie Kamae - who was one of the performers - told me with a twinkle in his eye and looking at the sky, "All you have to do is ask."
In addition to Hawaiians I met new people from many tribes: Mohawk, Yupik, Blackfeet, Northern Arapahoe, Wampoac, Ojibwe, Standing Rock Sioux Nation, Anishanaabe, Cherokee, Navajo, Cochiti Pueblo, Salisch, Colville Tribe - Arrow Lake Bands, Guam, New Zealand, and Aotearoa.
A comment on the first evening told me a lot about the Indigenous peoples I met. As we gathered to take a group photo with the ocean as a backdrop, a woman - an Anishanaabe teacher at the Ojibwe Language Institute - said in a low voice as she gazed at the ocean behind us, "How can we compete with that? It's so beautiful!" There are about 6,500 different languages in the world. 2,000 of them have less than a thousand speakers. 4,000 of the languages are spoken by Indigenous speakers. In 1896, just three years after Annexation, Hawaiian was banned in the classroom. By 1984 the community of fluent speakers had dwindled to a few elders and a tiny geographically isolated population on the island of Ni'ihau. Hawaiian language speaking children under the age of 18 numbered less than fifty. In January 1982, a group of Hawaiian language educators met to discuss strategies to perpetuate the language. From speaking with elders, they knew that raising children in an environment where Hawaiian was the ordinary language of interaction was central to survival of the language. They began the Punana Leo (Nest of Voices) preschool in 1984. Today there are 21 Hawaiian immersion schools.
I was very excited to visit Nawahiokalani'opu'u, the K-12 Hawaiian immersion school in Kea'au. The day was perfect - bright blue skies with a few puffy clouds. The campus is spacious with airy covered walkways. I notice that the children are engaged in their studies. Their statistics are impressive. They have a 100% graduation rate and 80% go on to college. I could see that the children are loved and nourished with aloha.
"Established in 1994, the school was named for Mr. Joseph Kahoʻoluhi Nāwahī, who was born in 1842 in Kaimu, Puna. Educated at the most prestigious schools in Hawaiʻi, including Lahainaluna and the Royal School in Honolulu, he served as a school teacher, principal, lawyer, legislator, member of Queen Liliʻuokalaniʻs cabinet, and editor of his newspaper, Ke Aloha ʻĀina (The Love of the Land). Even in the face of Western influences pressuring Hawaiians to give up their beloved culture, Nāwahī unfalteringly held true to his language and his people. His dedication and stalwart character serve as model traits for the students who are attending Nāwahī today. " To learn more visit Nawahi's website.
There was an opening protocol where the children dressed in red tees and various kinds of pants and shorts stood waiting quietly for all of us to arrive. They chanted a warm welcome in Hawaiian. My heart swelled with joy and pride to see and hear so many students. Then we lined up - men on the left, women on the right, and walked into the piko (center of the entrance) where staff told us of their motto and the meaning of a beautiful lei that draped the entrance. We took off our shoes and continued into the gymnasium. The children were patiently waiting sitting in rows. The younger children were in the middle, the high school boys on the left and the high school girls on the right. 
When we were all seated, the students presented a wonderful performance. We were greeted by a young man followed by the youngest children who stood and sang. The intermediate students stood up in the back and sang and danced. The high school girls then did a hula noho (sitting hula) using the uli uli (feathered gourds rattle) and chanted in unison as they moved up and down on their knees. Feathers flew as the sound of rattles intertwined with their sweet voices. The high school boys performed the finale. They also did a hula noho pa ipu (sitting hula with a gourd) chanting and beating their ipu (gourds) as one. The young male voices and bodies were strong and sure.
After the performance, we were given a snack of delicious steamed 'uala (sweet potato), kalo (taro) and sweet ko (sugar cane) that came from their garden! Then a senior male student acted as our tour guide. He was a bright young man who told us that at the very end of the school year, they have a week to prepare for their graduation. One day is spent at Moku Ola (Coconut Island or the Island of Life). Another day is spent decorating the gym. All work is done together.
Our group then visited the pre-school where two and three-year olds were all sitting on the floor listening and singing along with a teacher who was playing the ukulele. I wanted to squeeze each one - they were so adorable!
Then we visited a fourth grade class being taught Japanese in Hawaiian! They were learning vocabulary mixed with hand gestures and having a grand time. Finally we visited an 8th grade class learning about the American Revolution and comparing it to what was happening in Hawaii at the same time.
Everyone including visitors left their shoes outside the door and walked barefoot through all the classes.
This Renaissance in Hawaiian language and thousands embracing the hula have increased pride in being Hawaiian since Annexation. It is now definitely "cool." There is a saying 'O ka 'Olelo ke Ka'a o ka Mauli or Language is the fiber that binds us to our cultural identity. Language and culture are inextricably intertwined. Hawaiians who know their language have a deep understanding of their precious culture and history. This understanding of the past is so important in knowing who we are today. It helps us move confidently toward the future. The light is burning brightly at Nawahi! Eo!
Malama pono (take care of your body, mind and heart),
June Kaililani Tanoue
Kumu Hula, Sensei
P.S. Here's a slide show of my time in Hilo. Yes it was perfect. :)
P.P.S. Here's a slide show of our Indigenous Peacemaking in the 21st Century Workshop with Chas Jewett Red Morning Star Woman. We also had a small intercultural Wacipi (powwow) on Saturday night featuring Aztec Dance Chicago, Halau i Ka Pono and Weylin Webster teaching us the Round Dance.
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| | Photo by Michael Cicchetti |
Nicole Sumida is a wife and mother of two girls ages 6 & 7 and a clinical social worker by profession. She's worked with children and families struggling with mental health concerns for over 15 years.
Her mother Mieko Waldorf is originally from Hilo but has lived in the Chicago area most of her adult life.
Nicole has served on the Zen Life & Meditation Center's Board of Directors for many years and been actively dancing at Halau i Ka Pono for 9 years. Nicole told us this about her life.
We visited Hilo often as kids and I have many fond memories. I was just talking to the girls yesterday about how we would spend hours picking up shells and corral, not to mention swimming and simply running on the beach.
We didn't visit Hawai'i for many years in my adolescence due to financial constraints but when I graduated from undergrad, I moved to Honolulu where I lived for a few years. Having been involved in the Asian American arts/literary community here in Chicago, I was looking for my roots when I landed in Honolulu.
I remember being there just a short time, and while I was nervous, trying to get my bearings with a job, an apartment and new friends, I also remember feeling this strange sense of belonging that I had never felt growing up in the Chicago area. Like that was where I belonged. Everyone looked like me and no one thought I was unusual at all. I had found the hapa (mixed race) motherland!! We now visit Hawai'i almost every year and my husband and children and I feel like it's our second home. When I lived in Honolulu, I wanted to take hula classes but it never came together. Years later in 2004, my friend handed me a flyer with your information and the rest is history! With the exception of a three year break to raise the girls, I've been dancing every since. I really do love to dance hula.
I often struggle with recalling all of the movements and meanings precisely but there is something magical when we dance hula. Telling the stories that Hawai'ians have been telling for centuries, perpetuating and sharing the culture of Hawai'i, it's a profound act. Once the stories are lost, the culture dies and I do feel an obligation to my children to continue this work. I also enjoy dancing with you and my hula sisters; it's both fun and gets my mind and body flowing in a different way. Recently, you started a keiki (children's) class and I saw my girls and their friends dance in formation for the first time. Watching from the back of the room, I felt this elation then calm wash over me. Hawai'ian culture lives on in my children and hopefully in theirs as well. It's a beautiful thing.
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About Us|
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Successful Halau Fundraiser with Hawaiians Kumu Michael Pili Pang, Keikilani Curnan, Davin, Al, Ryan
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Halau i Ka Pono means School that Cultivates the Goodness. We teach Hula which is defined as the art of Hawaiian dance expressing all that we see, hear, taste, touch, and feel.
Hula and healing go hand in hand in our Halau. The dance connects us to the grounding energy of the earth and opens us to the warm spirit of Aloha (love).
Come join us! We have wonderful introductory classes for adult beginners! No experience necessary.
Contact Kumu June at june.tanoue@zlmc.org for more information. May your lives be full of aloha blessings!
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