Nālani Kanaka‘ole

Nālani Kanakaʻole (March 19, 1946 – January 3, 2026) was a Hawaiian kumu hula (hula teacher) at Hālau o Kekuhi, the dance company. In 1993, she and her sister, Pualani Kanakaʻole Kanahele, were jointly named National Heritage Fellows by the National Endowment for the Arts, which recognized them as "Hula Masters".

Early life and education Born on March 19, 1946, Kanakaʻole was raised on homestead lands in Keaukaha, Hilo, Hawaii, in a traditional Hawaiian fashion. She first learned hula from her grandmother, Mary Kekuewa Kanaele Fujii. She was 13 years old when her mother Edith Kanakaʻole started work as a hula teacher, and began teaching hula herself at the age of 14 in 1960. Her family spoke the Hawaiian language at home.

Kanaka’ole died in Hilo on January 3, 2026, at the age of 79.