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Master artist Kawika Keikiali`i Alfiche (left) and 2008 apprentice Eileen Maka Aniciete (right). Photo: Sherwood Chen.
Kawika Keikiali`i Alfiche
Hula (Hawaiian Cultural Arts)
Hula (Hawaiian Cultural Arts)
“The great thing about our traditions is it’s not just a dance and movement. It comes with great kuleana (responsibility). It is very important to our cultural community, for it is the voice of our culture.”
– Kawika Keikiali`i Alfiche
Hula is a Hawaiian dance form accompanied by oli (chant), mele (traditional song), and pa`ahana (musical instruments and implements). Its many styles have been divided into two main categories. Kahiko (ancient hula), as performed before Western encounters with Hawai`i, is accompanied by traditional drums and/or implements. `Auana, which evolved under Western influence in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, is accompanied by song and musical instruments such as guitar, `ukulele, and bass.
Hawaiian music and hula have always been prevalent in Kawika Keikiali`i Alfiche‘s life. Since he was a teenager, he has learned from three kumu hula (teachers of hula). He is one of six students who completed the traditional graduating process `uniki under the instruction of Kumu Hula Rae Kahikilaulani Fonseca of Hilo, Hawai`i, an `uniki of Master Kumu George Naope. Kawika also trained with Tiare Maka Olanolan of Hanalei, Hawai`i, and Aunty Harriett Keahilihau-Spalding of Keaukaha, Hawai`i. In 1994, Kawika started his own Hālau hula (school).
Kawika Keikiali`i Alfiche’s students from around the world dance to one of his compositions, 2019.
Apprenticeship Program
2023
During this apprenticeship, Kawika will guide Anjal Pong in making and learning four types of hula: Puniu (coconut knee drum), `Uli`uli (featherless gourd rattle), `Ulili (triple gourd top), and Lapaiki (small skinned drum). The pair will also study the styles of oli (chant) which accompany these implements, along with their kaona (layered meanings/symbolisms).
2008
In 2008, Kawika guided Eileen Maka Aniciete through an in-depth study of several hula, including Puniu (coconut knee drum), `Uli`uli (featherless gourd rattle), and the rare `Ulili (triple gourd top) and Lapaiki (small skinned drum). They also focused on the accompanying oli and mele for each, exploring their layered meanings.