Nana I Ke Kumu! Kula Kiʻekiʻe

Nānā I Ke Kumu - Kula Kiʻekiʻe

ʻO Keaukaha kahi koʻikoʻi ma ke aukahi hoʻōla ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ʻoiai ʻo ia kekahi o nā wahi mua loa (me ko Waiʻau ma Oʻahu) o nā kula kaiapuni ma lalo o ka ʻOihana Hoʻonaʻauao ma Hawaiʻi nei. Ua paʻa ke Kula Kaiapuni O Keaukaha, a ua loli ka inoa i ke kula hoʻāmana ʻo Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo ma ka makahiki ʻelua kaukani ʻekahi, ma muli o nā ʻohana kūpaʻa a maopopo leʻa i ke koʻikoʻi o ke kula kaiapuni no ka hoʻōla ʻana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. E ola ana ko lākou hana a i kēia lā me ko ka poʻe kaiāulu hoʻōla ʻana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma Keaukaha i ko lākou hale a me ke kula, i loko a i waho o ka lumi papa.

Keaukaha features prominently in the Hawaiian language renaissance movement as the site of the one of the first Department of Education Hawaiian Language Immersion programs to be established in Hawaiʻi (the other at Waiʻau on Oʻahu).  Kula Kaiapuni O Keaukaha, which became Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo in 2001, was made possible by a few committed ʻohana who recognized the vital role immersion education programs play in revitalizing the Hawaiian language.  Today their work is carried on by community members who have kept Hawaiian language alive in Keaukaha in their homes, and in our schools both in and out of the classroom.

Ua komo ʻo Nohea Nahale-a iā Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo i ka makahiki ʻelua kaukani ʻekolu. He tuta, he kumu kīnānā, he kumu lumi papa, he kumu aʻoaʻo ʻo ia a mai ka makahiki ʻelua kaukani ʻumikūmāiwa ke poʻokumu. Ua hānai ʻia ʻo Nohea ma Keaukaha ma ka ʻaoʻao aʻe o ke alanui o ke Kula Haʻahaʻa ʻo Keaukaha, kahi mua loa o ke Kula Kaiapuni O Keaukaha. Ua aʻo kūhelu ʻo Nohea i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma ke Kula ʻo Kamehameha ma Kapālama a ua hoʻomau ʻo ia i ke aʻo ʻana ma Ke Kulanui ʻo Hawaiʻi ma Hilo. Ma kona kūlana poʻokumu, kālele ʻo Nohea i ka hoʻokāʻoi ʻana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma Ka ʻUmeke me ka hana pū ʻana me Kauluwao, he polokalamu hoʻonuiʻike no nā kumu a me nā limahana. Hana pū ʻo ia me Ke Kula Kaiāulu ʻo Koʻolau i hiki i nā haumāna kula kiʻekiʻe ke komo ma nā papa kulanui ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi no ka ʻai kulanui. Hoʻolālā ʻo ia me nā ʻoihana pili ʻāina i hiki i nā haumāna a pau ma Ka ʻUmeke ke komo piha i ka hana lima ma o ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a ʻimi mau ʻo ia i nā ala i hiki i nā ʻohana ke aʻo i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. He keiki kā Nohea i komo mua ma Ka ʻUmeke a ʻakahi no a puka mai ke kulanui. 

Nohea Nahale-a joined Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo in 2003. She has been a tutor, SPED teacher, classroom teacher, teacher coach, and since 2019 the Poʻokumu.  Nohea was raised in Keaukaha across the street from Keaukaha Elementary School, where Kula Kaiapuni O Keaukaha first opened itʻs doors.  Nohea began her formal Hawaiian language learning in High School at Kamehameha Kapālama and continued her learning while attending UH HIlo.  As the poʻokumu, Nohea has focused her work on improving ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi across Ka ʻUmeke engaging in partnerships with Kauluwao to provide professional development to kumu and staff, working with Windward Community College to provide Ka ʻUmeke high school students with dual credit Hawaiian language coursework, organizing with ʻāina organizations to ensure all haumāna at Ka ʻUmeke get hands-on Hawaiian language learning experiences, and creating opportunities for ʻohana to learn Hawaiian language.  Nohea has a daughter who attended Ka ʻUmeke and recently graduated from college

Ma mua o kona hōʻea ʻana ma Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo ma ka makahiki ʻiwakālua ʻumikūmālua, ua hana mua ʻo Mikihala Mahi ma nā ʻoihana ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ʻē aʻe. I kēia manawa, ʻo ia ka manakia mālama limahana ma Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo. No Keaukaha kona ʻohana, a ua hoʻomaka kona ʻiʻini e aʻo i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma muli o kona lohe ʻana i kona mau hoahānau iā ia ma ke kula waena e ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ana kekahi i kekahi. Ma hope o ia lā, kia kona noʻonoʻo e aʻo pū i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi e like me lāua a kōkua i ka hoʻōla ʻana i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma kona ola a me kāna ʻohana. ʻAʻole i pio ia kukui a mau nō kona kūpaʻa a i kēia lā. Nui kona makemake e hui me kona ʻohana a me kona mau hoa a me ka huakaʻi ʻana.

Before coming to Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo in 2012, Mikihala Mahi has worked at other Hawaiian language organizations. She is now the human resources manager at Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo. Her family is from Keaukaha, and her desire to learn Hawaiian started when she was in intermediate and she heard her cousins speaking Hawaiian to each other. From that day on, her focus was to also learn how to speak Hawaiian like them and take part in revitalizing the Hawaiian language in her life and within her family. That flame has not been extinguished and continues until today. She enjoys spending time with family and friends and traveling.

ʻO Kumu Kaʻakapua Swain ka hanauna ʻekolu e noho nei ma Keaukaha. Ua ulu ʻo ia ma ke ʻano he ʻōlapa ma Hālau O Kekuhi a ua aʻo ʻia nā hana kuʻuna mai kona makuahine. Ua aʻo kūhelu ʻo ia i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi ma ke kula kiʻekiʻe me ka hoʻomau ʻana ma ke kulanui. Ma ia mau makahiki i hala, he mau kūlana kona ma Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo, ma ke ʻano he tuta, he kaukaʻi kula a ma ke ʻano he kumu no nā makahiki ʻeiwa i hala. Aʻo ʻo ia i ka papa ʻelima a nui kona ʻiʻini i ke aʻo ʻana no ka limu a hoʻohana ʻo ia i ia ʻiʻini ma kāna mau haʻawina. ʻElua āna keiki a he mau haumāna lāua ma Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo, ma ka papa ʻekolu a me ka papa ʻumikūmālua. 

Kumu Kaʻakapua Swain is a third generation Keaukaha resident.  She grew up dancing hula with Halau O Kekuhi and learning the cultural practices of her ʻohana from her mother.  Her formal Hawaiian language learning began in high school and carried on into college.  Over the years she has held many roles at Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo including tutor, huakaʻi coordinator, and for the last nine years kumu.  She currently teaches fifth grade at Ka ʻUmeke, she is passionate about limu and integrates this passion into her curriculum.  She has two keiki, one in grade three and one in grade 12, both of whom attend Ka ʻUmeke Kāʻeo.