You are....

#1 Looking for ʻike kūpuna of Molokai

You are Kānaka and living in the continent of the US, and you have ancestors from Molokai. You don't know much about Molokai, and you are looking for more information on the history and genealogy of your ancestors from a local.

#2 Visiting Molokai & Hawaiʻi

You just visited Hawaii, and your highlight was your visit to Molokai. You enjoyed hula form our local Hālau and were amazed with their chanting, but you didn't understand what they were dancing about, the names didn't ring a bell.

#3 Living in Hawaiʻi

Finally, your dream came true, and you now live Hawaiʻi. Of course you like to learn the language and ways of your new home, so you can be respectful and engage with the locals. Unfortunately, it is not that easy to find a teacher, even in Hawaiʻi.

#4 Lomilomi Practitioner

You do Hawaiian Lomilomi Massage, and yet you don't know much about Hawaiian Culture and History, let alone you are not sure what the Hawaiian worldview is. You are thinking of using a combination with new-age healing (being innovative), at the same time you don't want to be a "mana muncher" (learning from everyone, and different cultures, and then mix- and match). You want to do the right thing, but you are not sure what that is.

#5 Looking for an authentic source

You were always interested in “Polynesian culture”, Oceania, or Hawaiian Culture, yet, it is hard to find authentic teachers. You are not interested in learning from white teachers who have learnt from a Hawaiian, and are now teaching too. You are weary of cultural misappropriation, or whitewashing of a native indigenous Hawaiian knowledge. It is hard to find a true source of knowledge.

History was preserved in moʻo ʻōlelo...

→  According to the Hawaiian Dictionary by Pukui and Elbert, the word “moʻolelo” comes from the word “moʻo ʻōlelo” which means succession of talk.

Traditionally, all stories were oral, not written.
Oratory was one of the highest art forms in pre-colonial Hawaiʻi before 1822 when the missionaries created the Hawaiian alphabet.

Moʻolelo preserve ancestral wisdom...

→ Moʻolelo preserve stories, records, and history of the ancestors of Molokai.

It tells us about the significance of a place, the origin of the place names, type of vegetation, springs, cultural practices, or who lived there.

You learn how the kānaka saw the world in pre-colonial times.

Hula, Hawaiian Dance, the Moʻolelo, the stories, and Oli, the Hawaiian Chants all preserve history, genealogy, and spirituality and culture.

A teaching story...

→ Many stories have a deeper message, and teach values, how they made pono, lived with aloha, and all the familial relationships and genealogies of families on Molokai, and aliʻi, the chiefly class.

I am Kumu Paʻa Lawrence Kalainia Kamani Aki and I am the 50th Generation of Traditional Hawaiian Teachings of Halawa Valley, Molokai, Hawaiʻi.

One of my kuleana (responsibilities) is to perpetuate the teachings of my Kumu ʻAnakala Pilipo Solatorio, and keep the history of Molokai alive by sharing the moʻolelo (teaching stories) and preserving it for future generations.

I'm here to tell the moʻolelo (stories) of Valley of Halawa, of my island of Molokai, that were shared with me by my grand-aunties and -uncles, and my maternal grandparents in Halawa Valley, where I was born and raised.

I became a student of Kumu Hula ʻAnakala Pilipo Solatorio at age 9 in his school Nā Mea Kāne Hula O Molokai. He taught me hula, oli, the culture, and a lot of history through moʻolelo. One of the teachers of ʻAnakala Pilipo, Kumu Hula ʻAnakē Harriet Ne, took us both on a lot of journeys and expeditions throughout the island, where she shared many stories at the places itself.

ʻAnakala Pilipo made me memorize the stories in the most accurate way possible, such as the correct year for an event.

When I was 15, I had a bad accident. I couldn't dance Hula anymore.

Fast-forward, in 1998, I did ʻūniki (ritual graduation) with Kumu Hula ʻAnakala Pilipo Solatorio to Kumu Paʻa (Teacher of Foundation).

ʻAnakala Pilipo made me a teacher of the foundation of Hawaiian Culture, and a keeper of the moʻolelo of Halawa and Molokai.

Kumu Hula ʻAnakala Pilipo Solatorio, who was recognized by the State of Hawaiʻi as a Treasure of Hawaiʻi. He was honored by Hawaii Hula Preservation Society for his dedication and preservation of years of hula teachings. Maui County also honored Kumu Hula ʻAnakala Pilipo Solatorio for his Cultural knowledge, which he has shared for many years with community and visitors alike.

At 83 years of age in June 2023 Kumu Hula ʻAnakala Pilipo Solatorio passed away.

Since his ʻūniki, Kumu Paʻa Nui Lawrence Aki has helped many people in Hoʻoponopono sessions, workshops, retreats, and online classes to find their spiritual path of living in Aloha and Pono. And (re)connect with their family, ancestors, within a traditional Hawaiian Worldview.

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