Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 8, 1 August 2021 — LEINA'ALA NAIPO-AKAMINE AUG. 8, 1933 - JUNE 27, 2021 [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

LEINA'ALA NAIPO-AKAMINE AUG. 8, 1933 - JUNE 27, 2021

(Honolulu, Hawai'i) - Leina'ala Naipo-Akamine (87) passed away peacefully at home. She was born and raised in Honolulu, one of nine ehildren born to Robert Kahulanui Kamakapu Naipo, Jr. and Eva Puluelo Merseberg (Merseburgh; Mers-

burgh). Leina'ala attended Kamehameha Schools and there she met the man she would eventually marry, her classmate, LeRoy Kalanihekili Akamine. A hula dancer for most of her life, she completed the uniki ceremony in 1990 and, after retiring from Hawaiian Telephone, she founded her own hālau, Naipo Nā Mea Hula, beginning a second career as a kumu hula. She was passionate about performing, teaching and sharing hula. One of the highlights of that time in her life and career, was traveling with her hālau to Rapa Nui (Easter Island) to perform in the 1990s. Leina'ala was also a member of 'Ahahui Ka'ahumanu, and extremely active with the Kamehameha Schools Alumni Association, Class of 1952. She is predeceased by her husband of 62 years, LeRoy; sisters and brothers-in-law Aliee Puluelo (Thomas) Park, Marjorie Keala (Henry) McCallum, and Winona Pualani (Albert) Ne; and by brothers and sisters-in-law Robert Lopaka (Eliza) Naipo, Warren Keawa Naipo and George Kanoe (Charlene) Naipo, and Ethel (Cordeiro) Naipo. She is survived by her son, Kalama K. Akamine (Puanani); her daughter Leina'ala H. Nakamura; her granddaughter Anuhea K.P. Park (Matthew); her great-grandson Arden L.K. Park; her brothers Rodgers Lolena Naipo, Sr. and Henry John Naipo; her sister-in-law Annette (Kaopio) Naipo; and numerous nieces and nephews. A hui hou a Ke Akua pū. ■