Services for the fifth-generation loea hula Nālani Kanakaʻole will be held on Saturday, Feb. 21, at Edith Kanakaʻole Stadium in Hilo. Kanakaʻole died Jan. 3 in Hilo. She was 79.
The services are open to the public. Floral arrangements, lei, and kinolau are welcome. The stadium, which is home to Merrie Monarch each year, is named after Nālani Kanakaʻole’s mother, who founded Hālau o Kekuhi.
Kanakaʻole co-led Hālau o Kekuhi with her sister, Pualani Kanakaʻole Kanahele, and later her niece, Huihui Kanahele-Mossman. She also co-founded Sig Zane Designs in 1985 with her husband, Sig Zane.
Nālani Kanakaʻole (Courtesy of ʻOhana Zane) 
Nālani Kanakaʻole co-led Hālau o Kekuhi with her sister, Pualani Kanakaʻole Kanahele, and later her niece, Huihui Kanahele-Mossman. (Courtesy of ʻOhana Zane) 
Kanakaʻole is survived by her husband, Sig Zane; son, Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane (Shaelene Kamakaʻala); grandchildren, Loliʻi Kamakaʻala Barron and Nāholowaʻa Zane; sister, Pualani Kanakaʻole Kanahele; niece and co-kumu hula Huihui Kanahele-Mossman; and the extended Kanakaʻole, Kanahele and Zane ʻohana, along with the students who continue to carry on her teachings. (Courtesy of ʻOhana Zane) 
In late November, Nālani Kanakaʻole and her sister, Pualani Kanakaʻole Kanahele, were among the honorees recognized by the Hawaiʻi Academy of Recording Arts with lifetime achievement awards for their dedication to preserving and advancing traditional Hawaiian chant, mele, and performance. (Courtesy of ʻOhana Zane)
Nālani Kanakaʻole began rigorous training in hula when she was just 3 years old under her grandmother, Mary Kekuewa Kanaele Fujii, and later under her mother. By the time she was 14 years old, she was teaching. She spent nearly seven decades sharing cultural knowledge through mastery of mele oli, or chanted poetry, and vigorous ʻaihaʻa-style dance.
In 1993, Kanakaʻole and her sister were named National Heritage Fellows by the National Endowment of the Arts, in recognition of their lifelong commitment to preserving indigenous Hawaiian chant and dance.
In late November, the Hawaiʻi Academy of Recording Arts honored Kanakaʻole family’s contributions to Hawaiian music and culture. Nālani and her sister, Pualani, were among the honorees recognized with lifetime achievement awards for their dedication to preserving and advancing traditional Hawaiian chant, mele and performance.
On Saturday, Feb. 21, a hoʻolewa ceremony to honor Kanaka‘ole and her legacy will be hosted by the Edith Kanaka‘ole Foundation. Kanaka‘ole and her siblings founded the nonprofit in 1990 to “elevate Hawaiian intelligence through cultural education founded on the teachings and traditional practices of Edith and Luka Kanakaʻole,” according to its website. ʻAha will begin at 10 a.m., followed by visitation.
Kanakaʻole is survived by her husband, Sig Zane; son, Kūhaʻoʻīmaikalani Zane (Shaelene Kamakaʻala); grandchildren, Loliʻi Kamakaʻala Barron and Nāholowaʻa Zane; sister, Pualani Kanakaʻole Kanahele; niece and co-kumu hula Huihui Kanahele-Mossman; and the extended Kanakaʻole, Kanahele and Zane ʻohana, along with the students who continue to carry on her teachings.
Inquiries about how to support or give donations may be directed to the foundation by calling 808-961-5242 or emailing ekf@edithkanakaolefoundation.org.
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Katie Helland can be reached at katie@alohastatedaily.com.
