Kaumakaiwa Kanakaʻole is a cultural practitioner from Moku o Keawe and a descendant of one of Hawaiʻi’s most influential cultural legacies, carried forward through their great-grandmother, the esteemed Edith Kanakaʻole. A kumu hula, chanter, composer, artist, and educator, Kaumakaiwa has dedicated their life to carrying generations of ʻike Hawaiʻi through hula, oli, mele, and ceremony. A five-time Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winning artist and recipient of a Native Arts & Cultures Foundation Fellowship, Kaumakaiwa is internationally recognized for weaving ancestral Hawaiian chant, storytelling, and hula traditions with contemporary music and expression. Their work has been shared on the Merrie Monarch stage and around the world, including as the first Hawaiian performer featured at globalFEST in New York, and they collaborated as a songwriter, co-composer, and vocalist on the Emmy-nominated soundtrack for Chief of War. At ʻAha Kuauli, Kaumakaiwa will serve as an instructor of Hawaiian Oli and Haku Mele, sharing ʻike and creative practice while inspiring the next generation to discover, strengthen, and carry forward their own cultural voice.

Kumu Kahelelani Lyons Alohikea-Smith was born and raised in Kailua-Kona on Hawaiʻi Island and is a kumu hula and co-founder of Hālau Kaʻeaikahelelani. Through hula, she serves as a cultural ambassador, traveling throughout the United States and internationally to share Hawaiian culture, ʻike, and traditions with communities around the world. Before dedicating herself fully to her role as kumu hula, Kahelelani built a successful career in hospitality leadership, where she developed cultural programming, coordinated community events, and strengthened connections between resorts and the greater community. Her commitment to cultural preservation has also included service as a Commissioner on Hawaiʻi County’s Cultural Resources Commission, helping protect historic sites and culturally significant places on Hawaiʻi Island, and she currently serves on the Kona Historical Society Board of Directors. Hula is the heartbeat of Kumu Kahelelani’s life—a passion, kuleana, and birthright passed down through generations of her mother’s ʻohana. Chanting, music, hula, genealogy, leadership, and philanthropy form the foundation of her ʻohana legacy and continue to guide her and her sister in their work with Hālau Kaʻeaikahelelani.

Kalim Smith’s journey with gourds began at a young age while living in California, where he learned to create gourd rattles used in Native American ceremonies. As he grew older and connected with his Hawaiian ʻohana, his knowledge and craftsmanship expanded to include traditional Hawaiian uses of ipu, including ipu heke and ʻumeke. Kalim grows his own ipu on Hawaiʻi Island and in California, giving him an understanding of the entire process—from cultivating and caring for the gourds to preparing and transforming them into meaningful cultural pieces. His handcrafted ipu are treasured by kumu hula and have been carried and used on the Merrie Monarch stage, reflecting the quality, care, and cultural integrity he brings to his craft. Since 2017, Kalim has lived with his wife and daughter on a farm in Keauhou, Hawaiʻi Island, where he also cares for the ʻāina. His knowledge and passion for working with gourds have been passed down and shared through both his Native American and Hawaiian families. For Kalim, this work is more than a craft—it is a kuleana, a responsibility to honor the knowledge entrusted to him and pass it forward. At ʻAha Kuauli, Kalim will share this ʻike through the traditional art of creating an ʻumeke.

Siona Fruean was born and raised in the beautiful islands of Samoa, where he grew up in a traditional family deeply rooted in culture, honor, respect, and strong family values. A gifted and innovative artist, Siona brings his creativity to music, visual arts, professional dance, and design. He is the founder of Laitahikoa, a family-centered creative brand built alongside his wife, children, nieces, and nephews. Through Laitahikoa, Siona uses art and design to tell stories, celebrate cultural identity, and keep heritage alive for future generations. Every print and creation reflects the hands, experiences, and stories of ʻohana. At its heart, Laitahikoa is a creative space where culture, family, art, and aloha come together—a place with enough aloha for everyone. At ʻAha Kuauli, Siona will share his creative journey and experience in developing culturally grounded wearable art with the next generation.

Leihulumāhiepihaikealohaanaʻole Irvine is an accomplished retail executive, entrepreneur, and cultural researcher with more than two decades of experience in operations, supply chain, retail management, and business development. Raised under the mentorship of family kūpuna with strong ancestral ties to West Hawaiʻi Island, Leihulu grounds his approach to modern commerce in moʻokūʻauhau, moʻolelo, and ʻike kūpuna, demonstrating how cultural integrity and contemporary business practices can work together. His career has included leadership in large-scale military floral and event enterprises, restaurant operations, and multi-department retail sales, and he currently directs retail operations for his family-owned enterprise, Altered Ink, LLC, as General Manager of the Homegrown store at Pearlridge Center. At ʻAha Kuauli, Leihulu will share his firsthand experience transforming culturally grounded ideas into market-ready products and guide students through the process of developing a retail line—from creative concept and production to presentation, retail placement, and the marketplace.

For eight years, the Hawaiʻi Kuauli Pacific & Asia Cultural Festival has presented a Wearable Arts Fashion Show featuring emerging and established designers from across Hawaiʻi, the Pacific, and Asia. Through wearable art, these creatives share stories of culture, identity, place, and innovation. At the ʻAha Kuauli Wearable Arts Workshop, members of the team behind this dynamic fashion experience will share their personal journeys in design, along with the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from developing products and producing a high-energy fashion show for thousands of festival attendees.

Hālau Kaʻeaikahelelani (KIK), a 501(c)(3) organization, is an immersion school of Hawaiian arts and culture located in South Kona, Hawaiʻi. The hālau brings people together through a shared desire to learn and live the cultural foundations of hula, community, culture, and humanity. Its mission is to increase equitable access to cultural enrichment through hula, ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, music, arts, land stewardship, and ancestral teachings.

Keenan Chung was born and raised on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, and grew up immersed in Polynesian performance and entertainment. With both parents working as performers in Hawaiʻi’s visitor industry, much of his childhood was spent in the showrooms and entertainment venues of Waikīkī. From an early age, Keenan knew he wanted to become a performer, with a particular passion for Sāmoan fire knife dancing, or Siva Afi. That passion eventually opened pathways into acting, music, and cultural performance. His father taught him and his siblings to see themselves as Polynesians of Native Hawaiian descent, grounded in the understanding that the peoples of Polynesia and the greater Pacific are connected through shared ancestral ties. This foundation continues to shape Keenan’s appreciation of Pasifika cultures and his approach to art and cultural expression. Today, Keenan is the host of the Le Kaua Ailao Fireknife Competition, helping create a space where the skill, discipline, and tradition of fire knife dancing can be celebrated and carried forward. At ʻAha Kuauli, Keenan will share his experience and passion with the next generation through a hands-on Siva Afi workshop.

Malo James Mataʻu, better known as “MJ” or the “Speed Demon”, has been one to impress and wow the crowds fronting both show and competition stages all over the world. In his early years as a junior competitor, MJ racked up a number of titles at the World Fire Knife Championships in the intermediate divisions, eventually moving up to the senior division where he would win the title of 2nd Runner Up in both 2014 and tie with Mikaele Oloa for 1st Runner Up 2013. Since then, he has turned his efforts towards serving his community both with and without fire knife dancing, leading the efforst of the Siva Afi Worldwide movement, as well as working with Borthwick mortuary to care for those who have been called back to Heaven. Mj currently resides in Laie, Hawaii with his wife Lilla and the rest of his aiga.

Chef George Gomes Jr. is the Executive Chef at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel and brings more than 37 years of culinary experience from across Hawaiʻi and the continental United States. Throughout his career, Chef George has shared his talents at culinary destinations including Royal Kona Resort, Merriman’s Hawaiʻi, Kapalua, Tri-Star/Jas Restaurant Group, Hōkūliʻa, and Sarento’s at the Ilikai on Oʻahu. His extensive experience has given him a wealth of culinary knowledge firmly grounded in Hawaiʻi’s food culture and traditions. Known for bringing together global flavors with traditional and locally inspired Hawaiian cuisine, Chef George approaches food with creativity, skill, and a deep appreciation for place and culture. As an instructor for the ʻAha Kuauli Culinary Workshop, Chef George will share practical knowledge from his years in the industry, encouraging students to develop their culinary skills while understanding how food can connect culture, community, ʻāina, and aloha.

Tracey brings more than 20 years of experience in hospitality and the culinary arts, with a food style deeply rooted in “plantation comfort food” that honors the flavors, stories, and diverse cultural influences that have shaped Hawaiʻi’s food traditions. Her culinary journey includes a decade of success with her previous venture, The Feeding Leaf, and she is known for her attention to detail, creativity, and beautiful presentation. Today, she continues her culinary journey alongside her partner, Brightwell, through their work at Laʻi ʻŌpua 2020, with a shared commitment to serving and giving back to the community. Tracey also serves as the host of Taste of Pacific and Asia, celebrating food as a way to bring people and cultures together while sharing the rich flavors and stories of Hawaiʻi, the Pacific, and Asia. At ʻAha Kuauli, Tracey will lead the Culinary Workshop, sharing her knowledge, experience, and passion while encouraging students to see food not only as something we prepare, but as a way to preserve culture, tell our stories, and care for our community.