Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Aloha Uncle George

A L O H A
To YOU today!
Welcome to a Special Hawaiian Post




click on photos like a local!Uncle George Lanakilakekiahiali'i Naope
Born in Kalihi, Oahu in February 1928 - October 26, 2009

"I did all I wanted to do."





There's a feeling deep in my heart. . .

"Now we can call on him at any time.

A wheelchair can't come out on a rocky cliff or a crest.

Now we can call on him anywhere."



"I think what I always enjoyed most about seeing Uncle George is, whenever he went into a room, all eyes went on him. That energy, that responsibility he carried, he loved it. He loved that position, yet at the same time he had that mission, that responsibility to carry on the hula. It's really nice, this tiny little man could come in and the entire auditorium would stop. That says a lot about who he is."


Sig Zane,

Textile designer, Cultural Practitioner, and Kumu Hula.




In 2006, Uncle George was a National Endowment for the Arts fellow. He also received the Na Hoku Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts;

The Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau and Hawaii Tourism Authority both honored Na'ope with lifetime achievement awards.

"Uncle shared hula with the world.

It was his desire that hula be danced everywhere, and many of our kumu hula today are enjoying the legacy he leaves for all of us. He was a consummate entertainer, and that's what he did for the world, with aloha."

Jacqueline "Skylark" Rosetti

http://www.bigislandweekly.com/articles/2009/10/26/read/news/news01.txt






"I felt the hula was becoming too modern and that we have to preserve it. [David] Kalakaua [king of Hawaii 1874-91, aka The Merrie Monarch] brought the hula back to Hawaii and made us realize how important it was for our people. There was nothing here in Hilo, so I decided to honor Kalakaua and have a festival with just hula.

I didn't realize that it was going to turn out to be one of the biggest things in our state."
Uncle George, NEA National Heritage Fellow 2006


http://www.nea.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/interview.php?id=2006_07





"I tell the young people to learn the culture and learn it well, preserve it so their children and their children's children can continue with our culture and that our culture will live forever."

Uncle George




"In later years, Na'ope was known not just as a kumu hula, but as a raconteur, a dapper man decked out in bright clothes and huge rings. A fixture at the festival and its many auxiliary events, he was adored by hula-loving visitors, often seen in a huge peacock-style chair having his picture taken with visitors from Japan.

In latter years, when he crept up the ramp to the Merrie Monarch stage to perform a hula during the finale, the crowd would go wild.

He was called 'The Menehune,' for his small stature, or sometimes "Dandy," a reference to King Kalakaua's hula master Dandy Ioane, also a dapper dresser."


Gordon Y.K. Pang,
Honolulu Advertiser

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When I lived in Kona in the 80's I used to see a dapper old fellow walking down the road. He was decked out in lei, with a flower in his hat, wearing many many Hawaiian bracelets & rings. "That's Uncle George," folks would say with a special tone in their voices.

The State of Hawaii declared him a "Living Golden Treasure" but needn't have. He was already beloved and appreciated in a way that is hard to express in this modern day and time.

He is one of the few slender bridges that brought the cultural treasures of Hawaii's past into the present. At the penultimate moment of the Merrie Monarch Festival (the "Olympics of hula") while the judges tally the results, the tension, exhaustion, and exultation are palpable - even when viewed on TV.

It was at just this moment that Uncle George would take the stage to dance. All eyes were on him, including all of the dancers and kumu waiting to hear their rankings.

There, in the spotlight, our foremost hula expert would begin to dance real Kolohe ("mischievous, naughty, prankster, rascal"). A bit funny, a bit naughty, he always brought a humanity and warmth that touched hearts throughout the world. He had something of the little kid in him.

I last saw Uncle George here in Honolulu in the Spring of 2006 when he was signing inaugural copies of "Humu Mo`olelo - Journal of the Hula Arts" of which he is considered the founder.

It was always permitted to treat him with warmth and familiarity, so I mentioned Kona days and we admired each others jewelry. He signed my journal: "Aloha Cloudia, Uncle George Naope."

Here it sits by my side. The privilege was all mine, Uncle.

Aloha `Oe to a dear & great human being!

And to each of YOU for joining us today. Dance on! cloudia


Here is the link to Burl Burlingame's Honolulu Star Bulletin article:

http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20091027_Aloha_oe_to_Hawaiis_kumu_hula_scholar.html



22 comments:

Anonymous said...

nice tribute

Teresa said...

Great Post, Cloudia. He sounds like a wonderful human being!

Elizabeth Bradley said...

What a gift this man was to Hawaii. I love the rings, I have a thing about big rings too, although I don't wear so many at once. He has a kind face, so peaceful.

quilly said...

What a beautiful tribute!

Unknown said...

He appears to have been a very special person.

gigi-hawaii said...

Nice tribute! Aloha, CC!

Cloudia said...

Thanks for visiting!

Barbara Martin said...

An excellent tribute to a man who cared about the hula culture. Thanks, Cloudia.

Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

Very nice Cloudia! Wish I had known him.
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laughingwolf said...

safe journey, uncle george...

SandyCarlson said...

What a lovely and gracious person. His face is so full of peace. Thanks for telling his story and affirming his life.

Anonymous said...

A`ohe loa`a i ka hana a ke aloha.
(Distance is ignored by love.)

Dear Cloudia,
it is my opinion that he will always remain close to you and those many other people which shared his love of life.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful.

Jenn Jilks said...

A beautiful tribute. His spirit shines in the photo.

Aloha, Friend!

Cloudia said...

Thanks to you too!

Kavita Saharia said...

What a great tribute to UNCLE GEORGE...no wondder he is considered Golden Living Treasure.Yes,the culture and the dance art form must be preserved and passed to the future generation in its original form...not a remixed version.MAHALO(i hope it is right)friend.

Feisty Crone said...

What a great guy! Thanks for posting this.

Kay said...

I did not know about him. Thanks for filling me in, Cloudia. I've heard a lot of people tell about what an amazing person he was.

Anonymous said...

mahalo for your triute to a great man known to everyone as 'uncle' because as he is my grand-uncle it makes me even more proud to know that he has touched hearts that didn't even know him like we do!

Ekanthapadhikan said...

Beautiful tribute to an old man and even more beautiful are your pics. I'm a instant fan follower of yours!

Cloudia said...

Mahalo to each of YOU for honoring us with your visits!

who said...

I would have gotten along good with him. When I worked at a hospital and had to wear a uniform is when I started wearing very obvious mismatched socks (my boss was always pissed about that but there was nothing he could do about it :)