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Hawaiian composer and performer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Auntie" Alice Kuʻuleialohapoʻinaʻole Kanakaoluna Nāmakelua (1892–1987) was a Hawaiian composer and performer. Nāmakelua was also a kumu hula dancer and lei-maker.[1] She was an expert performer of the slack-key guitar and a master of the Hawaiian language.[2] Nāmakelua was a mentor of other musicians and wrote around 180 songs of her own.[1] She was inducted into the Hawaiian Music Hall of Fame in 2011.
Alice Nāmakelua | |
|---|---|
 Cover art for Auntie Alice Ku‘uleialohapoina‘ole Namakelua, 1974 | |
| Born | 12 August 1892  Honokaa |
| Died | 27 April 1987 (aged 94) |
| Musical career | |
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1927–1987 |
| Labels | Hula Records |
Nāmakelua was born in Kīhālani on Hawaii Island.[3] As a teenager, she sang for the deposed queen, Liliuokalani.[2] She was taught hula in her teen years by David Kaho'aleawai Kaluhiakalani, who had been the chanter for Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole.[4] Nāmakelua spent most of her life on O'ahu.[5]
Nāmakelua worked for the City of Honolulu's Parks and Recreation department, and some of her songs were composed for the Kamehameha Day Parades.[5] Nāmakelua would work on the Maui float for the parade, starting in 1944.[6] While working for the city, she also taught hula, Hawaiian language and music classes.[7] She was also the playground director.[1]
She taught hula, song and the ukulele for a short time on Kauai in 1959, where she resided with mayor Francis Ching and his wife.[2] In the 1970s, she was part of the Hawaiian Cultural Renaissance and noted for her guitar playing.[8] In 1978, she was one of the special award winners of the Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Hawai'i Academy of Recording Arts.[9] In 1980, she received a Na Makua Mahalo ia award, which was originally developed to recognize the musical accomplishments of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.[10]
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