Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 18, Number 8, 1 August 2001 — Hewett hōʻike August 18 honors kupuna, strengthens ʻohana [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Hewett hōʻike August 18 honors kupuna, strengthens ʻohana

By Manu Boyd

. efore any accolades go to Kumu

. Hula Frank Kawaikapuokalani " Hewett and his Kuhai Hālau o

Kawaikapuokalani Pā 'Ōlapa Kahiko at next year's 25th annual hō'ike, he will step back this year, and, with his own students and family, honor those before him. A singer, dancer, composer and cultural treasure, Hewett has made his mark on music and hula, but not without the influences and imprints of his mentors and heroes. "Since I was a child, I was fascinated

with Kawai Cockett and Aunty Genoa Keawe - their music, style, everything. Whenever they're on stage, you ean feel their aloha," said Hewett. This year's hō'ike theme, E Mālama Nā Kūpuna, will honor them both in concert, Aug. i 18, at Castle High School's Ron Bright Theatre, home to the hō'ike for 22 years.

More recently, Hewett has sanctioned several of his students to teach, with schools bearing the familiar "Kuhai Hālau" name he was given years

ago by Aunty Emma DeFries. "It's realI ly easy work on the hō'ike now. The

I word is 'māhuahua.' You plant the seed, I it grows, and is reflective of the parent I plant. I no longer have to teach everyI thing. I guide my haumāna, and they in I turn teach theirs, and it all comes I together," he said. "Our 'ohana comes from Ke'alohi," I said Hewett referring to the Windward 1 O'ahu district surrounding He'eia State Park. "They had their own way of doing

everything. Fishing, hula, singing. They had their own integrity. I remember my grandmother (Eva Wahineali'i Rowan), born and raised at Ke'alohi, and how I was influenced by her hula." This year, Hewett will feature 'ohana through the family and hālau of his cousin, Aloha Dalire,

but next year, he hopes to include even more. "Generations ago, our He'eia family was from Makapala, Kohala. Komomua and Ko'amokumokuohe'eia settled at Ke'alohi, and besides Hewett and Dalire, count Teresa Bright and Haunani Apoliona among hundreds of descendants - a musically adept elan. Frank Hewett's own compositions mark some of the best in contemporary compositions with such award-winning hits as "Ka Wai Lehua 'A'ala Ka Honua ," " Poli'ahu " and "Ka Pilina." "The simplicy and sensitivity of his music is very appealling," said Dalire, whose hālau has performed his music for years. "When I hear his songs, they put me in the realm the stories describe. Whether love songs, or tributes to godesses like ' Lā'ieikawai ,' you experience a kind of magic," she said. The matinee performance at 2 p.m., will showcase honor Kawai Cockett and showcase the Lim See HEWETT on page 13

_±J Hanana Ki'iikawā / H HiHHIIHH

Kawaikapu Hewett

HEWETT from page 8

Family, Olomana and Ellsworth Simona. Performing at the 7 o'eloek tribute to Genoa Keawe are Sean Na'auao and Nā Palapalai. In both shows, Hewett's own section will feature the accompaniment of Hōkū Zuttermeister, Kuana Torres and Paul Kim. Participating hālau are those of Hewett, Dalire, Ina Kanei, Kapi'olani Hao, Kaoru Maeda, Blaine Kia, Māpuana Ringler, Kahealani Mikaele, Kaleihua Kanei and Kauhiwailehua Gooch. "We invite you to not only enjoy the hō'ike, but eome and be a part of our tribute to Kawai and Aunty Genoa, two outstanding Hawaiians," Hewett concluded. ■