HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	91
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

Honoring Kumu Francis Palani Sinenci for his contributions to the revitalization and Perpetuation of Native Hawaiian hale-Building knowledge.

WHEREAS, Native Hawaiian master builder Francis Palani Sinenci, affectionately known as Kumu Palani, was born in the village of Hāna, Maui; and

WHEREAS, in 1994, Kumu Palani was asked to construct a hale at Helemano Elementary School, and through that invitation, paired extensive research with inherent ancestral knowledge to revitalize the skilled practices of kūkulu hale (traditional hale-building) and uhau humu pōhaku (masonry); and

WHEREAS, Kumu Palani then formed a partnership with Coila Eade to build Kauhale o Hāna, and to create Hōlani Hāna, a cultural park that has served as an important training space for the next generation of practitioners; and

WHEREAS, Kumu Palani has created Kauhale in communities around the Pae 'Āina like at the Hāna Cultural Center and Museum, Mohala Farms, and over 300 other hale; and

WHEREAS, Kumu Palani led the restoration of Pi'ilani Hale heiau in his hometown of Hāna, Maui; and

WHEREAS, Kumu Palani led the development of the Indigenous Architecture Building Code, initiated a certification program for hale builders, and founded a school for hale building called Hālau Hale Kuhikuhi; and

WHEREAS, over the past three decades, Kumu Francis has trained a new generation of practitioner and dedicated his life to revitalizing kūkulu hale and uhau humu pōhaku; and

WHEREAS, Kumu Palani and wife Esse Sinenci were co-recipients of the Malaikini Public Service Award in 2016; and

WHEREAS, Kumu Palani was the recipient of the 2022 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts; and

WHEREAS, Kumu Palani's life is exemplary of the ‘Ōlelo No‘eau, "‘Ike ‘ia no ka loea i ke kuahu," which means, "the expert is recognized by the alter he builds"; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, recognizes Kumu Francis Palani Sinenci for his expert work across the Pae 'Āina in traditional hale building, heiau and loko i'a restoration, and cultural revitalization.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Honoring Kumu Francis Palani Sinenci