2014 Merrie Monarch Festival – Results

The Merrie Monarch Festival is held each year to honor the legacy of King David Kalākaua, who inspired the perpetuation of Native Hawaiian traditions, language and the arts. Photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

The 51st edition of the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival ended on Saturday night with nearly 30 hālau competing for the overall title at the Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium in Hilo.

Oʻahu’s Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka Lā Earns Overall Title:

The men of Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka Lā, under the direction of kumu hula Kaleo Trinidad, finished on top with a total of 1,194 points, winning: the Lokalia Montgomery perpetual trophy for the best overall performance; 1st place in the Overall Kāne division; 1st place in the Kāne ʻAuana division; and 2nd place in the Kāne Kahiko division.

The group from Honolulu, Oʻahu performed a kahiko or ancient style hula selection to “Aia I Niʻihau Kuʻu Pāwehe,” that utilized kā lāʻau implements and spoke of the fine, soft pāwehe mat, which is famed on the Island of Niʻihau.

Their ʻauana selection was the highest scoring individual performance of the night, earning a total of 609 points.  The mele, “Hoʻi Ke Aloha I Raʻiatea,” commemorated the 1992 voyage of the Hōkūleʻa voyaging canoe from Hawaiʻi to Raʻiatea, celebrating the “revival of canoe building and the tradition of Pacific navigation,” according to a description published by the Merrie Monarch Festival.

“If you honor your kumu, that’s the best thing you could possibly do,” said Trinidad in a live interview with KFVE’s Keahi Tucker.  “We really got a chance to honor the people who taught us… so we’re really honored and thankful,” said Trinidad.

Maui’s Women of Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka Place in Overall Standings:

The women of Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka, under the direction of kumu hula Nāpua Greig on Maui finished among the top in the overall standings with a total of 1172 points for a: 3rd place Overall finish among both the Kāne and Wahine divisions; 2nd place Overall in the Wahine division; 2nd place in the Wahine Kahiko division; and 3rd place in the Wahine ʻAuana division.

The women performed a modern hula to a traditional chant, “I Waikapū Ke Aloha,” which commemorated the fours famous waters of Nā Wai ʻEhā in Central Maui; and a hula kahiko to “E Hoʻi Ka Nani I Mānā,” telling of the historic visit in which Queen Emma visited Lake Waiʻau on Hawaiʻi Island.

Maui’s Men Earn 4th Place Finish in ʻAuana Kāne Division:

The men of Hālau Kekuaokalāʻauʻalaʻiliahi, under the direction of nā kumu hula ʻIliahi and Haunani Paredes, also garnered accolades for thier fourth place finish in the ʻAuana Kāne or men’s modern hula division.

The men performed a hula entitled, “Kuahiwi Nani/Haleakalā Hula Medley,” a mele that described of the beauty of Haleakalā.  The hālau earned a total of 585 points for the performance, finishing fourth after a tie breaker with third place finishers Hālau Nā Mamo O Puʻuanahulu.  The Oʻahu hālau, led by nā kumu hula William Kahakuleilehua Haunuʻu “Sonny” Ching and Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera, won the tie breaker by eight points.

Complete 2014 Results:

Overall – Kāne and Wahine combined:

1. 1194 points: Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka Lā (Kāne), Kaleo Trinidad – Honolulu, Oʻahu
2. 1178 points: Ka Lā ʻŌnohi Mai O Haʻehaʻe  (Wahine), Tracie and Keawe Lopes – Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu
3. 1172 points: Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka (Wahine), Nāpua Greig – Kula, Maui

Overall – Kāne:

1. 1194 points: Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka Lā (Kāne), Kaleo Trinidad – Honolulu, Oʻahu
2. 1169 points: Kawailiʻulā (Kāne), Chinky Māhoe – Kailua, Oʻahu
3. 1163 points: Hālau Nā Mamo O Puʻuanahulu  (Kāne), William Kahakuleilehua Haunuʻu “Sonny” Ching & Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera – Kapahulu, Oʻahu

Overall – Wahine:

1. 1178 points: Ka Lā ʻŌnohi Mai O Haʻehaʻe  (Wahine), Tracie and Keawe Lopes – Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu
2. 1172 points: Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka (Wahine), Nāpua Greig – Kula, Maui
3. 1167 points: Hula Hālau ʻO Kamuela  (Wahine), Kauʻionalani Kamanaʻo and Kunewa Mook – Kalihi & Waimānalo, Hawaiʻi

Kahiko – Kāne:

1. 590 points: Kawailiʻulā (Kāne), Chinky Māhoe – Kailua, Oʻahu
2. 585 points: Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka Lā (Kāne), Kaleo Trinidad – Honolulu, Oʻahu
3. 578 points: Hālau Nā Mamo O Puʻuanahulu  (Kāne), William Kahakuleilehua Haunuʻu “Sonny” Ching & Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera – Kapahulu, Oʻahu
4. 576 points: Hālau I Ka Wēkiu  (Kāne), Karl Veto Baker and Michael Casupang – Pauoa, Oʻahu

Kahiko – Wahine:

1. 585 points: Ka Lā ʻŌnohi Mai O Haʻehaʻe  (Wahine), Tracie and Keawe Lopes – Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu
2. 579 points: Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka (Wahine), Nāpua Greig – Kula, Maui
3. 570 points: Hula Hālau ʻO Kamuela  (Wahine), Kauʻionalani Kamanaʻo and Kunewa Mook – Kalihi & Waimānalo, Hawaiʻi
4. 567 points: Hālau Mōhala ʻIlima  (Wahine), Māpuana de Silva – Kaʻōhao, Hawaiʻi
5. 561 points: Hālau I Ka Wēkiu  (Wahine), Karl Veto Baker and Michael Casupang – Pauoa, Oʻahu

ʻAuana – Kāne:

1. 609 points: Ka Leo O Laka I Ka Hikina O Ka Lā (Kāne), Kaleo Trinidad – Honolulu, Oʻahu
2. 586 points: Hālau Hula ʻO Kahikilaulani  (Kāne), Nāhōkū Gaspang – Hilo, Hawaiʻi
3. 585 points: Hālau Nā Mamo O Puʻuanahulu  (Kāne), William Kahakuleilehua Haunuʻu “Sonny” Ching & Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera – Kapahulu, Oʻahu
4. 585 points: Hālau Kekuaokalāʻauʻalaʻiliahi (Kāne), ʻIliahi and Haunani Paredes – Wailuku, Maui

ʻAuana – Wahine:

1. 597 points: Hula Hālau ʻO Kamuela  (Wahine), Kauʻionalani Kamanaʻo and Kunewa Mook – Kalihi & Waimānalo, Hawaiʻi
2. 593 points: Ka Lā ʻŌnohi Mai O Haʻehaʻe  (Wahine), Tracie and Keawe Lopes – Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu
3. 593 points: Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka (Wahine), Nāpua Greig – Kula, Maui
4. 590 points: Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana O Leināʻala (Wahine), Leināʻala Pavao Jardin – Kalāheo, Kauaʻi
5. 588 points: Hālau Hula Olana  (Wahine), Olana and Howard Ai – Puʻuloa, Oʻahu