Merrie Monarch results 2024: Oʻahu hālau wins overall; Maui hālau earn honors with many paying tribute to Lahaina

Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e under the direction of Nā Kumu Hula Tracie and Keawe Lopes of Oʻahu took the overall title at the 61st Annual Merrie Monarch Festival, in Hilo Hawaiʻi.

The hālau placed No. 1 in the overall wahine and wahine ʻauana divisions, as well as third in the wahine kahiko, and fourth place in the kāne ʻauana and kahiko divisions.

Their soloist, Kaʻōnohikaumakaakeawe Kananiokeakua Holokai Lopes was named Miss Aloha Hula 2024 on Thursday night.  

In their kahiko performance, 14 wahine dancers graced the stage in deep pink clothing and green maile adornments, performing “Ahead Wale ʻOe E Ka Liko,” in honor of King Kalākaua—venerated as a sacred ruling monarch. In their ʻauana performance, women of the hālau danced “Kalākaua,” in which the King is likened to a cherished flower. The wahine wore long white muʻumuʻu and a yellow Lehua blossom lei.

The kāne of Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e performed “Kumukahi” a song that describes the lighthouse at the eastern most spot of Hawaiʻi Island. For their kahiko selection, the men performed “Waiʻanae Kū Kilakila,” a mele that honors the moku on Oʻahu and the stories of kupuna.

Overall awards:

1. Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e, Nā Kumu Hula Tracie & Keawe Lopes (Oʻahu): 1,201
2. Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leinā‘ala, Kumu Hula Leinā‘ala Pavao Jardin (Kauaʻi): 1,199
3. Hula Hālau ‘O Kamuela, Nā Kumu Hula Kunewa Mook & Kau‘ionālani Kamana‘o (Oʻahu): 1,195

Kāne Overall awards:

1. Hālau Hi‘iakaināmakalehua, Nā Kumu Hula Robert Ke‘ano Ka‘upu IV & Lono Padilla (Oʻahu): 1,194
2. Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu, Nā Kumu Hula William Kahakuleilehua Haunu‘u “Sonny” Ching & Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera (Oʻahu): 1,190
3. Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi, Nā Kumu Hula Haunani & ‘Iliahi Paredes (Maui): 1,177

Kāne Kahiko awards:

1. Hālau Hi‘iakaināmakalehua, Nā Kumu Hula Robert Ke‘ano Ka‘upu IV & Lono Padilla (Oʻahu): 590
2. Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu, Nā Kumu Hula William Kahakuleilehua Haunu‘u “Sonny” Ching & Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera (Oʻahu): 586
3. Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi, Nā Kumu Hula Haunani & ‘Iliahi Paredes (Maui): 580
4. Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e, Nā Kumu Hula Tracie & Keawe Lopes (Oʻahu): 563

Kāne ʻAuana awards:

1. Hālau Nā Mamo O Pu‘uanahulu, Nā Kumu Hula William Kahakuleilehua Haunu‘u “Sonny” Ching & Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera (Oʻahu): tie 604 (845 tiebreaker)
2. Hālau Hi‘iakaināmakalehua, Nā Kumu Hula Robert Ke‘ano Ka‘upu IV & Lono Padilla (Oʻahu): tie 604 (842 in tiebreaker)
3. Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi, Nā Kumu Hula Haunani & ‘Iliahi Paredes (Maui): 597
4. Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e, Nā Kumu Hula Tracie & Keawe Lopes (Oʻahu): 593

Wahine Overall award:

1. Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e, Nā Kumu Hula Tracie & Keawe Lopes (Oʻahu): 1,201
2. Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leinā‘ala, Kumu Hula Leinā‘ala Pavao Jardin (Kauaʻi): 1,199
3. Hula Hālau ‘O Kamuela, Nā Kumu Hula Kunewa Mook & Kau‘ionālani Kamana‘o (Oʻahu): 1,195

Wahine Kahiko awards:

1. Hula Hālau ‘O Kamuela, Nā Kumu Hula Kunewa Mook & Kau‘ionālani Kamana‘o (Oʻahu): 597
2. Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leinā‘ala, Kumu Hula Leinā‘ala Pavao Jardin (Kauaʻi): 594
3. Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e, Nā Kumu Hula Tracie & Keawe Lopes (Oʻahu): 591
4. Hālau Hula Ka Lehua Tuahine, Kumu Hula Ka‘ilihiwa Vaughan-Darval (Oʻahu): 585
5. TIe 5. Hālau Mōhala ʻIlima, Kumu Hula Mapuana de Silva (Oʻahu): 582 (816) (97)
6. Tie 5. Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka, Kumu Hula Nāpua Silva (Maui): 582 (816) (97)

Wahine ʻAuana awards:

1. Ka Lā ‘Ōnohi Mai O Ha‘eha‘e, Nā Kumu Hula Tracie & Keawe Lopes (Oʻahu): 610
2. Hālau Ka Lei Mokihana o Leinā‘ala, Kumu Hula Leinā‘ala Pavao Jardin (Kauaʻi): 605
3. Hālau Mōhala ʻIlima, Kumu Hula Mapuana de Silva (Oʻahu): 600
4. Hula Hālau ‘O Kamuela, Nā Kumu Hula Kunewa Mook & Kau‘ionālani Kamana‘o (Oʻahu): 598
5. Hālau Hula Ka Lehua Tuahine, Kumu Hula Ka‘ilihiwa Vaughan-Darval (Oʻahu): 597

Maui Highlights: Men of Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi take third place overall in kāne divisions; women of Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka place in wahine kahiko

The men of Mauiʻs Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi under the direction of Nā Kumu Hula Haunani and ‘Iliahi Paredes garnered the group a third place finish in the men’s ʻauana division. The men performed “A Kona Hema ‘O Ka Lani,” celebrating King David Kalākaua, the festival’s namesake. “It is an ancient chant set to music that praises Kalākaua and identifies him as Ka Lani Kaulīlua. Kona and Kohana places and their characteristics are featured in this mele inoa,” according to the festival program. The kāne also earned a third place finish for their kahiko on Friday night, and a third place overall award in the kāne division.

The halau soloist, Amedée Kauakohemālamalama Conley-Kapoi was the first runner up in the Miss Aloha Hula competition on Thursday night.  

The women of Hālau Kekuaokalā‘au‘ala‘iliahi under the direction of Nā Kumu Hula Haunani and ‘Iliahi Paredes danced to the mele “Holu Nape,” on Saturday, which mentions places and stories commonly associated with Maui, including the famed mermaid Kananaka, said to frequent the shores of Lahaina.

The women of Hālau Nā Lei Kaumaka O Uka under the direction of Kumu Hula Nāpua Silva performed “Malu ʻUlu,” for their ʻauana selection, a 19th century mele that describes the famed beauty of Lele (Lahaina) and Maui Komohana (West Maui). Their kahiko presentation Friday night earned them a tie for fifth place in the wahine kahiko division.

In the lyrics, the song describe “my sweetheart in the peace of Lele,” and the “ka home o nā makua—the home of my parents.” “For so many of our people, those homes don’t exist anymore,” said Silva during the broadcast, referring to the impacts of the 2023 Lahaina wildfire. “As Maui hula practitioners, we want to reflect and be the image of what’s happening on our island,” she said.

The men of Hālau o ka Hanu Lehua under the direction of Kumu Hula Carlson Kamaka Kukona III performed “Kilakila O Maui,” which takes a journey to Kahului Harbor where fishermen pull their nets. The mele also reflects on the famed roselani flower of Maui, and recounts the phrase “Haʻaheo o Maui nō e ka ʻoi—The pride of Maui, the best of the islands.”

The women of Hālau o ka Hanu Lehua performed “Puʻuhonua Nani,” paying tribute to Queen Liliʻuokalani and the trust she created to provide refuge and a safe place to orphans and destitute children of Hawaiʻi. Kukona described Liliʻuokalani as a “very benevolent aliʻi,” saying the mele speaks of the original site in Kalihi for the trust.

The women of Hālau Hula Kauluokalā under the direction of Kumu Hula Uluwehi Guerrero, were among the many hālau that paid tribute to Lahiana in the aftermath of the devastating August 2023 wildfires. Their mele “Aia I Lahaina,” was composed by the late Maui Kumu Hula Akoni Akana.

“The well-stated lyrics extol Lahaina’s beauty and livingly mention significant cultural and sacred places such as Mokuʻula where Maui’s royal chiefs dwelt and established a seat of government,” according to the festival program.

Miss Aloha Hula 2024 Results:

On Thursday night, Kaʻōnohikaumakaakeawe Kananiokeakua Holokai Lopes was named Miss Aloha Hula 2024 at the 61st Annual Merrie Monarch Festival on Thursday night at the Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium in Hilo, Hawaiʻi.

This is the fourth year in a row that Ka Lā ʻŌnohi Mai O Haʻehaʻe, the hālau from Pūʻahuʻula, Koʻolaupoko, Oʻahu, under the direction of Kumu Tracie and Keawe Lopes, took top honors in the soloist competition.

Awards were issued to five hula soloists including:

1. Kaʻōnohikaumakaakeawe Kananiokeakua Holokai Lopes – Nā Kumu Hula Tracie & Keawe Lopes (1164) Miss Aloha Hula 2024 1st place / ʻOlelo award
2. Amedée Kauakohemālamalama Conley-Kapoi – Nā Kumu Hula Haunani & ‘Iliahi Paredes – Maui (1122) 1st runner up
3. Nāhakuʻelua ʻĀpuakēhau Kekauoha – Nā Kumu Hula Kunewa Mook & Kau‘ionālani Kamana‘o (1120) 2nd runner up
4. Heleolanimaināmakaohāʻena Hailee Jo Yokotake  – Kumu Hula Leinā‘ala Pavao Jardin  (1119) 3rd runner up
5. Caly Ann Kamōʻīwahineokaimana Ragonton Domingo – Nā Kumu William Kahakuleilehua Haunu‘u “Sonny” Ching & Lōpaka Igarta-De Vera (1111) 4th runner up