Kaua'i Iki
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Kaua’i Iki Olores is a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) māhū. Māhū’s are a traditional Hawaiian third gender person who occupies "a place in the middle" between male and female. She was born in 1962 in Kekaha on the Hawaiian island Kaua’i. She passed on January 15, 2019 at the age of 56[1]. She was a Kumu Hula, an activist for Hawaiian Sovereignty, a hula dancer, and an oral preserver of Hawaiian culture. Her ethnic background is Hawaiian-Filipino-Spanish-Chinese.
Early Life and Education[edit]
She was born in 1962 in Kekaha, Kaua’i. She is a middle child with 3 older sisters, 1 older brother, and 3 younger brothers. She was raised primarily by her mother, father, maternal grandmother, and maternal uncle.
She started attending school in Kaua’i and then temporarily went to a Honolulu boarding school during primary school. The boarding school she attended in Honolulu was a Kamehameha School. These schools are named after Kamehameha I – the founder and first ruler of the Kingdom of Hawaii – and are funded specifically for the education of Hawaiian children[2]. After Kaua’i Iki went to school briefly in Honolulu she completed high school in Kaua’i.
She took classes at Kaua’i Community College. She is a four-year graduate from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa with a BA in Hawaiian Studies with a concentration in Art and Music. She earned this degree in 1992. She is the second in her maternal family to earn a college degree, the first being her mom. Her mom earned a degree from Kaua’i Community College and was a registered nurse.[2]
She completed her "uniki" with her Kumu Hula, Kimo Keaulana Alama. Wehehehe Wikiki defines “uniki” as follows: “nvi., Graduation exercises, as for hula, lua fighting, and other ancient arts”[3]. The completion of this training allowed her to open her first halau (hula school), and teach hula worldwide while being called Kumu Kaua’i Iki.
Career[edit]
She has traveled the world as a hula performer. She has performed all over Asia, the South Pacific, and the United States, including Alaska. She worked as a performer, singer, dancer, and even as a fire-knife dancer.
She is most well known for her time teaching hula. She has traveled all over the world teaching hula spending most of her time teaching on the islands of Kaua’i and O'ahu. She opened up her own halau around 2001[2]. Her halau is in Kekaha and it was attended primarily by Ni'ihau natives or sons of Ni'ihau natives.[4] She has participated in numerous hula competitions and performances as her students’ Kumu hula. She is widely recognized and referred to as Kumu Kaua’i Iki by those in her community to honor her role as a hula teacher. She was even referred to as a "Master Hula Teacher"[5]
She has worked in museums as a conservator and art curator. She worked in the Bishop Museum on O'ahu, at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C., and several other museums across the country[4]. She felt as though this short stint as a conservator is important to her cultural identity as a māhū. The māhū people are a group who have historically maintained and nurtured the art and history of the Polynesian people.[2][6]
Life and Legacy[edit]
She appeared in the “Kumu Hina” Documentary as a mentor and friend to Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu. In the documentary, Hina visits Kaua’i Iki on the island Kaua’i. Once they arrived to Kaua’i. Hina, Kaua’i Iki, and their company went on a road trip while Kaua’i Iki sang “O Kalalau Pali ʻAʻAla” and played the ukelele in the bed of the truck while the group drove to Hanalei from Kekaha, Kaua’i.[6] She is an activist for Hawaiian sovereignty and has participated in a large number of marches and demonstrations. She began participating in these social movements and protests in college at University of Hawaii at Mānoa.
She was a respected lei maker in her community. She designed all sorts of leis. She was awarded the County of Kauai Office of the Mayor Award and the Marriott Waiohai Beach Club Award at the 37th Annual Irmalee & Walter Pomroy Lei Contest. She also earned first place honors in the Pink and Red, Mixed Colors, and Ti Leaf categories of the contest.[7][8]
Many families would come to her and ask her to name their children as was a traditional māhū role. She defines the role of māhūs in society as follows:
“Māhū were particularly respected as teachers, usually of hula dance and chant. In pre-contact times māhū performed the roles of goddesses in hula dances that took place in temples which were off-limits to women. Māhū were also valued as the keepers of cultural traditions, such as the passing down of genealogies. Traditionally parents would ask māhū to name their children.”[9]
Kaua’i Iki filled and honored this traditional role. Her family entrusted her with the family’s history, genealogy, and the location of ancestral graves. She helped many families name their children.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Obituaries for Thursday, March 7, 2019 | Kaumakani Kauai County Hawaii". 2019-03-07. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Matzner, Andrew (2001). O Au No Keia: Voices from Hawai'i's Mahu and Transgender Communities. Xlibris Corporation (published October 2, 2001). pp. 19–50. ISBN 978-1-4653-2376-7. Search this book on
- ↑ "uniki — Wehe²wiki² Hawaiian Language Dictionaries". hilo.hawaii.edu. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Azambuja, Léo (2015-03-01). "He Kumulipo — The Source of Darkness - For Kauai OnlineBy Léo Azambuja". For Kauai Online. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
- ↑ "The Māhū: Get to know French Polynesia's Magical Third Gender". Out Adventures. 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Dean., Hamer (2016), Kumu Hina. (Online Video), OCLC 956905092, retrieved 2022-06-27
- ↑ Fujimoto, Dennis (2017-05-02). "Kauai Iki scores big in lei contest". The Garden Island. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
- ↑ Ige, David; Tatum, Chris (May 30, 2019). "Regular Board Meeting Hawai'i Tourism Authority" (PDF). Hawai'i Tourism Authority. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
- ↑ "Intersections: Transgender, queens, mahu, whatever': An Oral History from Hawai'i". intersections.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
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