HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	24
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

recognizing kuana torres kahele – kumu hula, award winning singer and songwriter, traditional and cultural practitioner for all his accomplishments, accolades and efforts to perpetuate hawaiian culture.

     WHEREAS, it is vital that the Native Hawaiian culture and arts, involving olelo, hula, music, and traditional and cultural practices, be forever perpetuated for future generations of native Hawaiians; KUANA TORRES KAHELE is a torch bearer for all things Hawaiian, and we recognize his accolades, accomplishments, and continued work on behalf of native Hawaiian culture; and

     WHEREAS, KUANA TORRES KAHELE has been involved in the music and hula scene since the age of six years old, training as a kane dancer under legendary kumu hula Johnny Lum Ho, and later added as a permanent halau musician; and

     WHEREAS, in 1995, at age seventeen, KUANA TORRES KAHELE and Hilo native and falsetto musician Kehau Tamure laid the foundation for what emerged as one of the most popular Hawaiian music groups to date, Na Palapalai; their original song, "Ke Anu O Waimea," is the most popular hula song in Japan to this day; and

     WHEREAS, in 2011, KUANA TORRES KAHELE released his long awaited solo debut, "Kaunaloa," which reached No. 2 on the Top World Albums Chart and won multiple awards, including the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards for best Album of the Year and Song of the Year; subsequent blockbuster releases included his "Hilo for the Holidays" Christmas release which won the Na Hoku Christmas Album of the Year Award and 2013's self-titled, "Kahele"; and

     WHEREAS, KUANA TORRES KAHELE has a long-standing relationship with the Ni‘ihau ohana; he helped to organize and instructs the hula halau Na Lei Lanakila O Ni‘ihau and has worked to further the art and raise revenues for the benefit of countless families in need of assistance by taking the famed lei pupu for sale on many of his trips, bringing 100% of the funds back to the lei maker; and

     WHEREAS, KUANA TORRES KAHELE currently maintains his own Hawaiian Music & Culture School in Japan, offering courses in voice, haku mele, mele hula, fresh lei making, ukulele and guitar lessons, and teaching over 200 students in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2017, that this body hereby honors KUANA TORRES KAHELE for his outstanding achievements, applauds his dedication and passion in sharing and perpetuating Hawaiian culture throughout our state, in Japan, and throughout the world, and extends its warmest aloha and sincere best wishes for continued success in all future endeavors.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Recognizing Kuana Torres Kahele – kumu hula, award winning singer and songwriter, traditional and cultural practitioner for all his accomplishments, accolades and efforts to perpetuate Hawaiian culture