Hawaii News April 5, 2022

Late kumu hula Edith Kanakaʻole to appear on U.S. quarter

The late Native Hawaiian hula teacher Edith Kanakaʻole is among five women who will be individually featured on a U.S. quarter next year as part of a program that depicts trailblazing women on the flip side of the coin. Edith Kanakaʻole, a renowned kumu hula, composer, and chanter, was a key figure in the Hawaiian Renaissance movement in the 1970s.

“Her moʻolelo, or stories, served to rescue aspects of Hawaiian history, customs and traditions that were disappearing due to the cultural bigotry of the time,” the US Mint said in a news release.

The Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation in Hilo was established in 1990 to perpetuate her and her husband Luka Kanakaʻole’s teachings. The Foundation said she has been recognized as “the preeminent practitioner of modern Hawaiian culture and language.”

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This special announcement is timely as the highly anticipated 2022 Merrie Monarch Festival is quickly approaching. It is scheduled to run from April 17 to April 23 at the Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium in Hilo with a combination of in-person events and televised shows. Corcoran Pacific is proud to be a sponsor of this year’s Merrie Monarch Festival. For more information about this year’s festival, visit Merrie Monarch’s website here.