Synopsis: The I Ulu I Ke Kumu Awards this year will honor Dr. Naleen Andrade, Mahi Beamer, Kūhiō and Claire Asam and Pōkā Laenui and Puanani Burgess for their extraordinary commitment and excellence in Native Hawaiian education. The I awards dinner will be held Saturday, March 7 at 5:30 p.m.

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‘O ka Makana ‘o I Ulu I Ke Kumu, he makana ia e hā’awi ‘ia i ke kanaka i kūpa’a loa ma ke a’o ‘ana i mea e laha ai ka ‘ike i ke Kanaka Maoli. A i kēia makahiki, he ‘eono mau kānaka e kau ana i ka hano hāweo.

‘O Naleen N. Andrade ka mua. He polopeka lapa’au ‘o ia i nā ‘ano pilikia o ka no’ono’o a me ka na’au no Ke Kula Lā’au Lapa’au ‘o John A. Burns ma ke Kulanui o Hawai’i ma Mānoa. A nui kāna mau polokalamu a’o lapa’au holomua e mālama nei, he 30 a ‘oi. Ma mua, he kahu ‘o ia no ka papa o ke Kulanui ‘Amelika o nā Kauka Lapa’au i nā ‘Ano Pilikia o ka No’ono’o a me ka Na’au. A ‘o ka pelekikena nō ho’i ‘o ia o ia Kulanui ma mua. He luna ninaninau a loiloi ‘o ia no ka Papa ‘Amelika Lapa’au i nā ‘Ano Pilikia o ka No’ono’o a me ka Na’au a me ka Lapa’au A’alolo ma mua. A ‘o ka luna ho’omalu ‘o ia a ‘o ke po’o nō ho’i o ia papa ma mua.

‘O Edwin Mahi’ai Copp Beamer ka lua. He loea ‘o ia ma nā mele o ke au kahiko a he ‘ōlapa ‘o ia, he kanaka oli, he pu’ukani, a he mea ho’okani piano nō ho’i. Ho’omaka ihola ‘o ia i ke a’o ‘ana mai i ka ho’okani piano i ka piha ‘ana o nā makahiki ‘ekolu iā ia. Na kona makuakāne, na Milton Ho’olulu Beamer makua ‘o ia i a’o. He haumāna ‘o ia ma ke Kula Nui ‘o Kaleponi ma Kana Palapala a me ke Kula Mele ‘o Julliard. ‘O ia nei kekahi i hīmeni ma ka hale kaulana, ‘o Carnegie Hale ma Nū Ioka. He ‘elua āna pā leo i hana ai. Ua lilo kekahi mau makana nui iā ia, ‘o ka Makana Lifetime Achievement o ka ‘Ahahui Hawai’i o nā Pu’ukani a me nā Mea Ho’okani; ‘o ka Makana David Malo; a me ka Makana Waiwai Ola i ka makahiki 2008.

He pa’a male ke kolu, ‘o ia ‘o J. Kūhiō lāua ‘o Claire Asam. ‘O Kūhiō, ‘o ia ka luna ho’okō o ka Hale Lunalilo, a ‘o ia ka mea i lilo ai ia hale, ‘o ia kekahi o nā ‘oi kelakela ma ka mālama kupuna. He lālā ‘o ia no ka papa o ka University of Hawai’i Foundation, ke Kula ‘o Hana Hau’oli a me Sutter Pacific Health. A ‘o Claire, ‘o ka hope pelekikena ‘o ia o SchoolRise Hawai’i, a ‘o ia nō ho’i ka luna ho’okō. A aia nō ho’i ‘o ia ma ka papa o ka Harold K.L. Castle Foundation a me ka ‘Ahahui HMSA. Aia nō ho’i ‘o Claire ma ka ‘aha kūkā o ke Kula Laulauna Kanaka ‘o Myron B. Thompson ma ke Kulanui o Hawai’i ma Mānoa.

A ‘o ka hā, ‘o ia ‘o Pōkā Laenui lāua ‘o Puanani Burgess. ‘O Pōkā, ‘o ia ka luna ho’okō o Hale Na’au Pono, he kikowaena ola kino ma Wai’anae mai ka makahiki 1997 a i ka makahiki 2014. Nui kāna ha’i ‘ōlelo ‘ana a puni ka honua ma nā nīnau no nā kānaka maoli o ka honua, nā pono o ka lāhui kanaka a me ke kāpae ‘ana i ke kolonaio. ‘O Puanani, nāna i ho’okumu i ka Hui Kūkulu ‘Oko’a o ke Kaiāulu o Wai’anae. Ua kōkua nō ho’i ‘o ia ma ka hana like ‘ana me nā hui he nui i komo lākou i loko o kona kaiāulu, e la’a ‘o Ka’ala Farm, Inc. ‘o Hoa ‘Aina O Mākaha, ‘o Hale Na’au Pono, ‘o Time Out Nursery a me ka ‘Ōpelu Project. Wahi a Puanani, “Ma mua, he mea ho’ouluulu ‘o ia, a i kēia manawa, ‘o ia hana ho’ouluulu, hō’ike ‘ia aku ma o ka ho’oulu ‘ana i ke kaiāulu aloha, ma o ka ‘uao a me ke kūkākūkā pono ‘ana.”

Ho’omaika’i iā ‘oukou e nei mau alaka’i o Hawai’i nei.

Aia ana ka ‘aha ‘aina i ka lā 7 o Malaki ma Kamakakū-okalani. Inā he mana’o ko kekahi e kū’ai i pākaukau a i noho paha ,e kāhea i ka helu kelepona 808.956-0980.

This column is coordinated by Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai’i.