Merrie Monarch: Founder Uncle George Naope

Uncle George on George

By KAREN WELSH
Originally Published in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Copyright
All Rights Reserved
No Reprints Allowed

Uncle George Lanakilakeikiahiali‘i Na‘ope is a living legend.
Although ailing now, he's still bigger than life in the hula culture, founder of
the world’s most prestigious hula competition.
A man of seemingly endless energy, Na‘ope has been at the center of many
activities.
In recent years, Uncle George put his stamp of approval on Humu Mo‘olelo, a befittingly bright and colorful subscriber-based magazine dedicated to the preservation and archiving of hula.
“This is one of the exciting things I wanted to do,” Na‘ope said.
“Sharing my culture with others. The more I can do, the happier I feel.
The more I can share makes me feel good. My heart is love for Hawaii and
our culture and respect for all things Hawaiian.”
Na‘ope said the hula journal’s name has great meaning. “Humu” stands for
the stitching of a quilt, the binding needed to bring the patches
together, he said, and “mo‘oleho” is the story of hula.
Each magazine features a highly respected kumu.
The first to grace its pages, of course, is Na‘ope.
Launching the magazine wasn't easy. Na‘ope relied on a
close-knit group of friends and ohana.
“So far we’ve all paid for all the expenses out of our own pockets,”
said Humu Mo‘olelo co-publisher Chelle Shand. “We’ve done whatever we
could to keep it going.”
As it builds in success, Shand said part of the proceeds will go to
building a center and museum for hula.
“All God gave us was aloha and love, and all we want to do is share it,”
Na‘ope said. “Hula is aloha. Hula is sharing. The center will be a place
to study the Hawaiian culture and language. A place for people to record
their stories. A part of what we are trying to do is to support the
growth of hula.”
Shand is hoping the new center will facilitate the building a larger
arena for the Merrie Monarch Festival.
After all, the yearly competition is Na‘ope’s first love. As
with everything, Uncle George has his own ideas about the festival’s future. He
feels strongly that Merrie Monarch needs to stay non-profit, and remain
in East Hawaii.
“They’ve tried so many times to move it to Honolulu and we said ‘no,’”
he said. “The Merrie Monarch is our festival. Hilo has become the home
of hula. It was reborn here. Hilo is hula town. There are many hula
festivals in the world now, but Merrie Monarch is the only non-profit.
Merrie Monarch gets no grants, no nothing from anybody. We’ve gotten no
money from day one and it should stay that way. Merrie Monarch is a
self-supporting organization.”
Although Na‘ope believes the festival is going well, he said some of the
technical aspects are lacking.
“Right now they really need to get back and polish it,” he said. “They
need to polish the basic hula steps, the "feel" movements. For example, in
the uwehi, the women often bring their knees out instead of up.”
However, Na‘ope is quick to remind that his manao, or wisdom, is meant
to keep hula going in its purest form.
“I scold because I love them,” he said. “I love Hawaii. I love my
culture and I want hula to be as close as possible to the authenticity
to the story.”
Na‘ope is looking forward to this year’s competition, mainly because he
isn’t responsible for deciding the winners.
“There’s more losers than winners in every competition,” he said. “I
don’t judge. I love everybody — every halau that dances. The hula is the
ability to interpret one’s own inner feelings. Everybody has their own
style. Students reflect their teachers. They’re not wrong, they are
right in their own way.”
Na‘ope feels the day will never come when international halaus are
allowed to compete.
“There are other festivals that are open to the world where they can
perform,” he said. “Merrie Monarch is for our people because education
begins at home and we don’t want anyone taking it away from us. The
competition is for those who are born or live in Hawaii.”
Na‘ope warns that locals need to take their culture as seriously as the
Japanese. He said the Japanese will be formidable opponents in any hula
competition they are allowed to enter, mainly because they are
disciplined and passionate about performing their best.
“The Japanese are very good,” he said. “They will probably win because
they go home and practice. The Hawaiians go home, drink beer and watch
TV. That’s the truth.”
Subscriptions to Humu Mo‘olelo are $56 a year, $106 for two years. It
will also be available through a very select group of shops and bookstores.