HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

176

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

supporting the recommendation of the Kuali'i Native Hawaiian Advisory Council of the university of hawaii at manoa that the university confer honorary doctorate degrees on Genoa Keawe, Pualani Kana'ole Kanahele, Nainoa Thompson, and Levon Ohai.

 

 

WHEREAS, Genoa Keawe is a living treasure of the native Hawaiian people and is one of the most celebrated vocal performers and Hawaiian recording artists of this era, with a falsetto music style that is legendary; and

WHEREAS, born in 1918 in Kaka'ako and singing since she was 12 years old, Genoa Keawe recorded her first single in 1946 and started her own record company, Genoa Keawe Records, in 1966; and

WHEREAS, Genoa Keawe has served as an invaluable resource for Hawaiian musicians for over 50 years, and many of today's top entertainers consider "Aunty" Genoa one of their inspirations; and

WHEREAS, Genoa Keawe received the highest honor in folk and traditional arts in the United States, the National Heritage Fellowship, presented in a Washington D.C. ceremony by the National Endowment for the Arts; and

WHEREAS, the people of Hawaii have also recognized Genoa Keawe's musical excellence and cultural contributions by presenting her with numerous Na Hoku Hanohano awards, dedicating in her honor the 1987 King Kamehameha Hula Competition and the Prince Lot Hula Festival in 1998, and inducting her into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in 2001; and

WHEREAS, Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele is one of the most notable native Hawaiian scholars of the twentieth century and the most sought-after authority on the great epic history of Pele and Hi'iaka; and

WHEREAS, along with her sister, Nalani Kanaka'ole, Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele is Kumu Hula of the world-renowned Halau O Kekuhi, which has produced the nationally recognized stage performances "Holo Mai Pele," "Kamehameha Paiea," and most recently, "Hanau Ka Moku"; and

WHEREAS, currently an assistant professor at Hawaii Community College where she has taught since 1990 after teaching at Maui Community College and the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele was awarded the 2002 Regents' Medal for Excellence in Teaching, the University of Hawaii's highest teaching honor; and

WHEREAS, Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele received the 2003 Order of Ke Ali'i Pauahi award for demonstrating the vision of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop and making extraordinary and inspirational contributions to the Hawaiian community; and

WHEREAS, Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele is a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts' most prestigious award, the National Heritage Fellowship, and has received other numerous honors, including the National Governors Association Award for Distinguished Service and the Governor's Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts; and

WHEREAS, as the president of the Edith Kanaka'ole Foundation, a culture-based, nonprofit organization founded on the vibrant traditions and rich cultural heritage of the Kanaka'ole family, Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele has helped heighten indigenous Hawaiian cultural awareness and participation through the foundation's educational programs and scholarships; and

WHEREAS, Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele was the primary organizer for the 1999 World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education; and

WHEREAS, inspiring students and colleagues alike by utilizing Hawaiian-rooted educational philosophy and experiential methodology to motivate students to become life-long learners and contribute to the community and environment, Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele is inclusive and supportive of each student while maintaining high expectations for students and cultivating their potential to challenge themselves; and

WHEREAS, Charles Nainoa Thompson is a former University of Hawaii (UH) Regent and is currently a Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate trustee; and

WHEREAS, as program director of the Polynesian Voyaging Society, Nainoa Thompson has inspired and led a revival of traditional arts associated with long-distance ocean voyaging in Hawaii and throughout Polynesia; and

WHEREAS, Nainoa Thompson studied non-instrument ocean navigation under master Micronesian navigator Mau Piailug and is the first Hawaiian to master the skill of traditional wayfinding and long-distance voyaging since these practices ended in Hawaii during the fourteenth century; and

WHEREAS, Nainoa Thompson is using his accomplishments of the last 20 years to develop multi-disciplined, culturally relevant educational programs in partnership with other educational institutions, organizations, and agencies; and

WHEREAS, Levon Ohai received a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University-Provo in 1965 and his Master of Arts degree from the University of Arizona in 1972, began his teaching career in 1986 as a primary school counselor, and has taught at the high school and community school levels throughout the last 19 years; and

WHEREAS, currently an instructor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UH-Manoa) Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, Levon Ohai has an incredible knowledge of Hawaiian traditional medicinal practices that is unmatched in any higher education institution in the world; and

WHEREAS, trained in La'au Lapa'au, or traditional Hawaiian medicinal practices, by his grandfather in the tradition of his family lore, Levon Ohai later developed courses at UH-Manoa reviving interest in La'au Lapa'au among a new generation of native Hawaiians; and

WHEREAS, Levon Ohai was recently honored at the Spring 2004 graduation ceremony of Hawaiian studies, Hawaiian language, and native Hawaiian students of UH-Manoa for inspiring these graduates to achieve excellence in their fields of study; and

WHEREAS, Genoa Keawe, Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele, Nainoa Thompson, and Levon Ohai have inspired and contributed to excellent scholarship and leadership in their respective fields and are invaluable cultural resources deserving of an honorary doctorate degree; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, the Senate concurring, that this body hereby supports the recommendation of the Kuali'i Native Hawaiian Advisory Council of UH-Manoa that the university confer honorary doctorate degrees on Genoa Keawe, Pualani Kana'ole Kanahele, Nainoa Thompson, and Levon Ohai; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the President of UH, and the Chairperson of the UH Board of Regents.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

UH-Manoa; Honorary Doctorate Degrees