Revered kumu hula Johnny Lum Ho died Sunday in Hilo. He was 81.
Lum Ho, a retired state worker, was kumu hula of the award-winning Halau o ka Ua Kani Lehua on Hawaii island. He was known for his creativity and unconventional performances, which were often crowd favorites at the annual Merrie Monarch Festival.
Sydney Hanakahi Perreira, who has been with Lum Ho’s halau for more than 40 years, said “Uncle Johnny,” as he was known to students, was a kind and generous man. Perreira, who started dancing under Lum Ho at age 3, now has two children who also dance for the halau. She said so many of her hula brothers and sisters have similar experiences of growing up and being a part of the halau family.
Some of his many lessons, such as hard work and commitment, went beyond hula — and still resonate with her today, she said.
“He’s always been so welcoming to all of us. He will be so missed,” Perreira said. “My hula sister said it best when we were at the hospital. She said, ‘I just thought he was going to live forever.’ I did, too. And I now know that he will live forever in our hearts and our memories and in the stories that we continue to tell and honor him with.”
Lum Ho was a teacher and mentor to many students, some of whom are now kumu hula themselves. Shortly after news came of his death, many in the hula community expressed sadness for the loss and shared stories about what it was like being a part of Lum Ho’s life.
Kumu hula Ke‘ano Ka‘upu of Halau Hi‘iakainamakalehua danced for Lum Ho for nearly a decade. After moving to Oahu, he said, he still regularly flew back to Hilo to help the halau.
Although Lum Ho demanded excellence from his dancers, Ka‘upu said he was also a prankster with a quirky sense of humor. He recalled Lum Ho hiding behind doors, then jumping out to scare his students. He said he can still picture the look on his hula sisters’ faces, some of them wanting to laugh but not sure whether they should.
In Lum Ho’s honor, Ka‘upu said, his halau will perform one of his mele at Merrie Monarch this month. He said years after leaving the halau, he’d still regularly talk to Lum Ho and enjoyed asking him questions, listening to his quirky metaphors and hearing him say, “You so smart,” a phrase the kumu hula would often use to express pride in his students.
Like Lum Ho, Ka‘upu said he demands excellence from his students — and tries to lead through laughter.
“I always respected him, always admired him and was always inspired by him. He gave me the freedom to believe that I could do whatever I put my mind to,” Ka‘upu said. “He was special, and not just to me, but to every student who walked through his doors. He inspires everything that we do because I am my kumu’s student. I really, really hope that a lot of my students can at least feel him through how I am.”
Kumu hula Napua Greig of Halau Na Lei Kaumaka o Uka said Lum Ho’s legacy will continue to live on through his students. Greig danced for Lum Ho for six years and was his Miss Aloha Hula contestant in 1992, placing as second runner-up. Her kahiko mele was an original that Lum Ho composed about uku (head lice). Although it wasn’t exactly what she envisioned, she said it was still an honor. Decades later, she said, people still remember her as “Johnny’s uku girl.”
Greig added that Lum Ho was humble, often shying away from the spotlight in favor of giving that attention to his students. Also, she said, he taught her to never dance or teach hula for the money, noting that she remembers him charging just $15 a month for lessons.
Lum Ho would also give his students opportunities to help with choreography, which Greig said has helped her develop as a kumu. She added that he was a great cook and that she will miss his phone calls inviting her over for dinner.
“No matter what it was, I trusted his genius. I trusted his creativity. I felt so, so fortunate to be a vessel for all of that. Uncle Johnny didn’t care if what he wanted to do was popular or if they liked his style or not. I admired that about him,” Greig said. “He loved his students. He loved Hilo and the community. There are tears, but there are tears of joy in reminiscing and thinking about him.”
Services are pending.
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Jayna Omaye covers ethnic and cultural affairs and is a corps member of Report for America, a national service organization that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.
